The Princess and the Pirate
by LeeSUP
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia, isolated and alone her entire life escapes from the evil clutches of her step-dad and finds herself aboard a pirate ship lead by none other than the notorious pirate Natsu Dragneel. An adventure ensues!
1. Preview!

**Hey there. I just couldn't help it! I HAD to I mean just HAD to put at LEAST a little sneak preview for this one. I have been thinking about this one for a long while and my god I just wanna write it now! So here is a little preview to the next full length story I will be writing:**

* * *

Her heart pounded in her chest. She had never been so scared in her life. Now, she had thought that her father would have sent people after her when she ran away, but dogs too? Three vicious dogs had been released and had been chasing her throughout town of course accompanied by a large group of guards. One of the hounds even managing to get a good nip at her ankle. Rubbing the wound gingerly she slid down the wooden door.

It probably hadn't been the best thing to do but really, it was the only thing she could have done at the time, the only place she could hide.

A rather large ship, empty and looked like it had been forsaken. Climbing up the ladder frantically she slid onto the deck and ran to the closest door. Managing to quietly shut the door behind her and press her back against it.

Now she had slumped on the floor crying in all her misery. What a mess all of this had turned into. Lucy just wanted to be happy, all her life she had hated waking up and going through the motions of her day to day life. Nothing had made her happy, no one had made her happy. How could she smile when she had been cooped up in that house for her entire life? In her little cell-like room? She didn't hear the dogs or the yells of the guards anymore, they had apparently not seen her climb aboard. Finally she had lost them.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks she got to her feet, limping slightly on her sore ankle. It was too dark to see if there had been any significant damage but for now there was only one overpowering feeling she was concentrating on. She was so_ sleepy_. Which made sense, it was about 3 in the morning.

And as luck would have it there was a bed right in front of her, more like a cot than a bed actually. It was hard to see with all the clothes and stuff everywhere but she spotted it no less.

She would just have a little nap, about 15 minutes and she would find out what her next move was. Collapsing on the sheets she caught a whiff of something she hadn't really expected. Looking at the ship from the outside she had assumed it had been forsaken but the smell here, it was strong like someone had been there not too long ago.

Like a _guy_ had been there. She didn't really know many guys, only the ones her father introduced to her as a possible candidate for marriage. They had all been short and flabby, not to mention flat out rude...generally not attractive at all. That wasn't what her father had been looking for, the key trait was that they were all _rich._ If she married them then her step-dad's fortune would increase. Other than that she didn't really know much about guys, she had tried not to converse with those men, she didn't like them, they were rude and demanding. Now, she didn't know what she wanted in a guy, heck she didn't know what a real man was supposed to be like. But she didn't need to, she knew she didn't like the ones her father had chosen and that was that.

Yet, this smell she smelt right now. It wasn't like the other guy's she had met. No, not even close.

This was very masculine, strong musky scent with a touch of dirt and grime. Not prim and proper like her life had been force to be, it was quite the opposite. Fantasizing unconsciously at whose bed she was currently in she began to drift off to sleep. Not even thinking in the slightest that the stronger smell meant it was recent and recent probably meant he would return...and soon.

No, that thought never did enter her mind.

With that, Lucy Heartfilia fell asleep in a pirate ship and thus began the adventure that would change her life forever.

* * *

**Yes? No? Sound like it could be exciting?**

**I won't be updating right away unless I get a ton of reviews, I mean I will update it but I've still got a few chapters I need to finish of my other story first but what I'm saying is that people desperately want me to write another actually chapter for this one like right now and leave lots of reviews for motivation then I may update beforehand! If that makes any sense?**

**Anyway! Thanks for reading, so please read, review and recycle. ?**


	2. To Be or Not To Be

**Yo. So I did get lots of nice reviews and I am quite stoked to write this so I thought I should update this chapter as well. **

**I just want to clarify this, it is clearly AU so the characters are _not _going to be the same, some characters from fairy tail won't even be in this story and it takes place when Natsu and Lucy are a bit older, at least in their 20's. So NO they will not be 100% in character all the time with the real ones, I'll try my best but Natsu will be a little more mature in certain parts because he is not the same one.**

**Very similar but not quite, so mentioning if they are a bit OOC, yeah they are cause Natsu's not actually a pirate hahah, but I will make sure to keep lots of lovable characteristics about Lucy and Natsu in the story, and when it progresses I'm sure I will be able to make them less and less OOC. Just with the first few chappies they will seem a bit OOC so bear with meh! Just to clear that up before continuing on, love you guys and hope you enjoy!  
**

**Thank-you for reading!  
**

**BUT anyway!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or anything related to it including the awesome epic move that I really wanna see coming out soonish.**

* * *

The lights had been turned on. How long had she been sleeping? How in hell had she not woken up? Now that she was indeed awake she could hear yelling and crashes out on the deck, but that wasn't what she was paying attention to right now. No, she was looking right at who she assumed was the owner of the bed she was currently residing in. Staring wide-eyed at him as he stood in the doorway she took in his appearance.

His face wasn't as shocked as she thought it should be, he just looked at her with a face of almost indifference. He had an older looking face, he was probably a few years older than herself. His facial features were sharp giving him a tougher appearance, his eyes half-lidded and somewhat bored looking. He was wearing a black bandanna-like toque so she couldn't see his hair at all. A tight black shirt clung to his body, only one sleeve, all of it trimmed in gold. The colar was flipped up and barely visible under a white scarf, which Lucy briefly thought it was weird because it was the middle of summer. He wore white pants that were hidden by fabric the same color as his shirt with the gold lace, held up by a belt that sat at his waist. All of that and sandals, which Lucy also thought was a little weird. Why sandals of all things? That wasn't weird at all compared to the scarf though. Yet for some reason all it seemed to suit him, and she would be lying if she said it didn't look good on him. Actually...thinking about it practically _anything _would look good on a guy like that. He was definitely the best looking guy she had ever seen in real life before, or even in pictures...ever really.

The guy stepped in further and shut the door behind him, flicking the lock shut making Lucy's heart jump up into her throat. Why would he lock the door? Yet she just couldn't bring herself to say anything. 'Um, hi? Sorry I climbed into your bed and stuff?' That just didn't seem right. That plus she was a little too distracted ogling him...though she would never admit that.

"Hm, I thought tonight I'd be safe from this but they always try to surprise me." He spoke, eying her curiously.

What was he talking about?

Wow, he was so different from all the guys Lucy had known. His voice was deeper and not as smooth and practiced as the others were. There was something raw and rugged about this guy, he had a certain air about him she had never felt before. _He _was something she had never seen before, something she would never get to see if she was still cooped up by her step-father. But now, she could see him and she intended to look at him as much as she wanted. One of the most distracting things was his _muscles. _Not only did he actually have them but they were nice, like really nice, and visible even under his clothes, she couldn't help but watch as they flexed as he moved. One of his arms was fully exposed, it looked like he could carry her easily with just that one arm. My god, she was starting to sound insane but really what did she expect from never seeing a guy like this ever in her life? Of course she would be somewhat stunned and impressed. She had a right to be.

"Though I must say they did a good job choosing this one. Most attractive so far." He continued, sitting in a nearby chair, his eyes still examining her.

Attractive? Feeling flattered somewhat she smiled at him; maybe he was nice after all. She would just have to tell him her story and get off the ship.

"You don't talk much do you? Most of them already try something by now, or at least say something." The man spoke again, eyebrow rising in question.

What the heck was this guy talking about? Was this how real men talked? In riddles? Her head tilted slightly in curiosity, he was so peculiar.

"Or is it..." He stood, kicking his chair back roughly, moving swiftly he was suddenly right in front of her. Startled slightly she jumped and leaned back as he got very close to her. "That you want me to be the initiator." Lucy felt his hand on her shoulder and before she could do anything was pushed backwards flat on the bed, one of his knees coming up beside her thigh as he loomed over her.

She was shocked, utterly scared out of her mind. The little smile that played on the man's lips was taunting and playful but she felt scared. Lucy just didn't understand why this was happening. She should definitely fight back; she just couldn't be taken advantage of! No matter just how good-looking he was!

Before she could even begin to scream for help she felt him climb off of her, his feet padding across the floor and she heard the sound of the chair scraping on the floor as it was picked up.

"You're an unusual one. I'll pay you for two or three hours time, your pick. You can just relax or I can get you a drink, I don't intend to do anything with you. I must humor my crew though, I can't have them thinking I don't appreciate a gift or that I'm not a man in their eyes, no matter how ridiculous this kind of thing is. If you are not alright with any of that then you can just leave now if you'd like." He spoke softly, sitting back down on his chair once again.

"U-uh...what?" Lucy finally managed to spurt out, sitting up from the bed wide-eyed...still not over what had just happened.

"...I will not be needing your services tonight, but I would not mind your company for a while." He explained slowly, seemingly confused why she just didn't understand.

"S-services?" She stuttered.

"Yeah? I don't know how to make it any clearer to you. You've got to be the strangest whore I've ever met."

Lucy's brain practically exploded. Whore? _WHORE_?

"Whore?" She screeched, startling the man in the chair. "I'm not a whore! You ass!"

"What do you mean you're not a whore? My crew told you to come in here no? Why else would a woman be on my bed waiting for me!" He raised his voice back at her standing in unison.

"I ran away and was hiding here! I fell asleep but I am certainly not a whore!" Lucy explained in terror standing up from the bed. That would explain how he had been acting...oh god. This was humiliating! She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard laughing. The guy was laughing! Not just laughing but practically keeling over in a fit of howling laughter.

"What's so funny!" Lucy yelled again, she didn't like to be laughed at, especially in this kind of a situation.

"Hahahah! You picked a bloody _pirate-ship _as the best place to hide? What kind of idiot are you!"

"Shut up!" She stammered, making her way to the door. Her ankle throbbed painfully and she stumbled…right into the arms of the first real man she had ever encountered, and no her she didn't consider her father a real man.

Wait…he was also the first pirate she had ever met. A pirate huh? In a way she thought that was suiting, heck that was more than acceptable in her case.

Lucy would become a pirate, a renegade, the complete opposite of what she was before. She would run from the law and fight and spit and do whatever she wanted! Lucy would finally be free, finally be happy.

Realizing she was still in the man's arms, her eyes slowly looked up into the confused expression of the man she knew nothing about.

"Uh, you okay?" He spoke up breaking the silence. Why was he so kind to a complete stranger? She cast her eyes aside, she had never really been treated this nicely before. In reality she had never actually been asked that question before. Lucy didn't really know how to respond, should she actually tell him what hurt? Or should she just get the heck out of there and find somewhere to start being a pirate. Not answering the guy she just stayed there in his arms, it was comfortable, it was warm and he smelled nice. His bed smelt just like him.

Suddenly knocked out of her stupor he lifted her up, by pulling her in tighter and threw her back on the bed. It creaked noisily at the sudden pressure and she managed to suppress a squeal of surprise.

She had never been thrown like that before! How barbaric! Her legs were hanging off the bed now so her throbbing ankle began to feel a lot better though.

"If you're hurt just say so, idiot."

Lucy had also never been called an idiot before! It had always been more subtle insults, to her appearance or family, never to her intelligence. Actually Lucy was quite intelligent.

"I'm not an idiot." She murmured grumpily.

"Well, you're somethin'."The man stated, getting down on his knees and taking one of her legs in his hands. Lucy's immediate reaction was to flail, a proper man would ask before running his hands up her legs! And then she would tell them NO! She ended up kicking him right in the head, his toque falling to the floor.

And then she laughed. She laughed really hard. Now, she did feel bad about the kick, his face now sporting a red mark on his cheek but that wasn't why she was laughing.

It was his hair! It was pink! It was actually pink!

"Oh! …PssshhhhhAHAHAH! I'm sorr-hahaaahaha….I'm so sorry! Hahah! No really! Hahahah. I just didn't expect you're hair! Hahah, it is just so startling! It's just not what I expected!" She sputtered, trying and failing to control her laughter. Maybe it was just because she was over-tired but she found it hilarious. She had thought he was the most man she had ever seen before, just straight up manliness in a container, but his hair color it just said, no, _screamed _the opposite at her. His hair color was the most feminine color that had ever existed.

"Yeah yeah, laugh all you want. I was born with this, it's natural and it's not like I chose it 'kay?" He muttered, clearly not impressed with her outburst. That fact just made her go into another fit of laughter.

"N-No way! How can that be natural!" She wheezed.

"Oh? Want me to prove it to you?" He asked, giving her a look she didn't quite understand. Actually she didn't understand the sentence either.

"Eh? How would you prove it to me?" Innocence showed in her eyes as she continued to chuckle.

Now it was Natsu's turn to sputter.

"Uh...nevermind, just...nevermind." He stared at her in disbelief. This time more forcefully he grabbed her leg, reefing up her dress a bit so he could see more while he dodged her second kick.

Lucy quieted down now, she was suddenly nervous. She was still wearing one of her gowns, her hair was still done up from this morning, really she could see how she would look like an expensive whore outside her family home. But this guy had just pulled her dress up like it was the normal thing to do! Quickly in response she had sent another kick his way that just met air, then resorted to pushing down on her dress to make sure he couldn't see up higher than he should. The dress was a mess after she had ran so far and even crawled in it a few times. Her hair seemed to keep in tact for most of it though. She felt his hands feel along her lower leg and upon finding the actual wound she felt his touch grow softer slipping off her high-heel. His fingertips were gentle, and lifting her foot slightly he turned it carefully so he could see it in the light a little better.

"Something bit you? Dog?" He asked, putting her foot down softly and standing. Immediately he walked over to a drawer and began rummaging through it.

"Uh, yeah. It's okay though. That problem was taken care of." She lied; she really didn't want him to know about her business right now. He _was _a pirate after all and she was from the richest family in town. She may not know much about the world but she most certainly was not stupid! Finding whatever he had been looking for he sauntered back over, taking his place on the ground again. He poured a clear liquid onto a cloth and brought it up to the bite marks on her ankle.

"This is gonna sting a bit." He informed before pushing the cloth onto the wound. Lucy sucked air through her teeth but didn't pull away.

"So? What's your name anyway?" The man questioned, continuing to treat her ankle.

"It's polite to introduce yourself first."

"I'm a _pirate. _Pirates aren't really the most polite people, now come on and just tell me your name."

"It's Lucy H-…just Lucy." She stated, forsaking her other name, it wasn't part of her anymore.

"Lucy, that's kind of a boring name."

"Shut up!"

"Hahah, I'm Natsu, Natsu Dragneel. This is my ship 'Fairy Tail', I'm the Captain of The Dragon Pirates." He boasted, giving her a big smile in pride. It was enough to make her heart skip a beat.

"Nice to meet you, Natsu of the Dragon Pirates."

"So what brings you around these parts? You said you were escaping?" Natsu continued, beginning to wrap her ankle now.

"Ah, yeah. I'm escaping from the normal society, I think I'm going to become a pirate!" Lucy made up on the spot, deciding to tell him about her knew ambition.

"Pfft…you and what army?"

"Well I was wondering where I should go to become a pirate."

He put her foot down, seemingly done with his first-aid treatment, the look on his face told her he was trying really hard not to laugh.

"You don't go to a certain place to become a pirate, you just _are a pirate_. You really are a weird one, why would you want to be a pirate? You look like you've been doing very well for yourself doing whatever you have been, that dress alone would cost a pretty penny."

"It's not all about money you know, it's about happiness and freedom."

"You don't seem cut out to be a pirate, sorry. You look more like a princess, go with that. Maybe some prince will take you in."

"I just told you it isn't about the money! I want to do whatever I want!"

"Well even if you became a pirate you'd have to listen to the captain!"

"Then I will become a captain!"

"Oh, okay well good luck with that." Natsu scoffed. "You have no idea what it takes to be a captain."

"Well if a simpleton like you can be one I can too!"

"Simpleton eh? Do you even now the basic ship commands? Do you even know what side is the port side?" He questioned arrogantly. Keeping her mouth shut she glared at him with all she had.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. You haven't got what it takes to be a pirate! Just go home to your castle princess."

Standing abruptly she slapped him across the face. She was absolutely infuriated with him, he was an ass just like the others!

"Ugh, again? Really? Calm your jets lady. I'm just trying to bring you down from your fantasy world, being a pirate can be hard sometimes ya know." Natsu muttered rubbing his swelling cheek giving the furious girl a look of annoyance. "If you wanna go you know where to door is. It is late so if you want to stay the night there is one condition. You aren't allowed to hit me anymore. You may look weak but you've got a good kick and slap. You should rest your ankle for at least tonight too."

Twitching slightly at the weak comment she contemplated her odds. If she left now she would probably end up being caught by the dogs and guards when she tried to escape. It wasn't like she could even run very well right now either. She needed a night to rest and rethink her strategies, she knew what she wanted now, to be a pirate, a captain no less. So at least she had something to go on now. All she needed was a crew, some knowledge about sailing…and a ship. It seemed like a far away goal right now but at least she was free to do it.

"But in the morning you're outta here, bright and early. We are setting sail."

"Fine, I'll take your offering. I will be sleeping here for tonight. Goodnight." She decided, sliding back onto the bed and flipping over so she would face the wall.

"You think so? Coming onto a pirate ship and demanding to sleep in the captain's bed? You are crazy." Natsu laughed as he kicked his shoes off.

"Well, move over then."

Lucy froze.

"What? No, go sleep somewhere else! Or on the floor! Have some common courtesy!"

"What part of _pirate _do you not understand? This is _my _bed, _my _ship, _my _rules. And I say I will sleep in my bed and that goes because I am the captain. If you don't like it go sleep in the men's quarters, I'm sure they'd love to have you. I'm tired and I wanna sleep." He explained as he started to climb into his bed.

Flipping around she pushed him, she knew it was harsh but this just wasn't right either! Startled he ended up slipping and falling in a heap off of the bed. Lucy was pretty sure she heard him growl.

"You wanna play rough? Okay, I can play rough!" He hissed, one of his hands shooting up from where he lay. Before she could react he had grabbed her leg and pulled. Moving swiftly he brought his whole body up and grabbed her, a maniacal look on his face. Moving his other hand quickly he brought his up and slipped it under her. Lucy began to flail madly as he hoisted her up over her shoulder and stood. He walked to his door ignoring the punches and slaps to his back and the screams now coming out of her throat.

Exiting the room she didn't slow on her screams but her face deepened into a dark red.

Everyone, who Lucy supposed was his crew, all fifty-something of them, were staring at them. She punched harder, digging her nails into his back.

"If you won't let me sleep in my own bed you'll sleep with the guys." He stated, continuing on through the crowd. Lucy heard murmuring, a few cat calls and whistling.

"Nice, captain."

"Did we bring her here?"

"She looks expensive."

"Wow, captain brought her back?"

"Expensive taste."

"Isn't that the first time he has ever done that?"

"She looks like a princess."

"I'd tap that."

"We should sell that dress."

"Where's he goin' with her?"

She was steadily becoming more embarrassed with every step. Slowly her punches slowed and she became scared, she didn't know anyone here. She didn't want to sleep in a room with all of them. Lucy was starting to regret leaving her home. She was glad to be free, but could she really survive in this world? It seemed so dark and intimating now. Maybe she should just go back and live life the way she had become accustomed to. Maybe that was the best thing for her.

Maybe she wasn't cut out to be happy.

Tears forming in her eyes she stopped punching the man carrying her. Almost sobbing she managed to get some words out of her quivering lips.

"I-I'm sorry. I'll…l-let you sleep in y-your bed." She stuttered. Natsu paused for a moment and then turned on his heel heading back to his quarters without a single word. Lucy dug her face into his back, hiding her now tear streaked face from everyone that was watching. The whistling and yells grew louder as Natsu approached his room. The whole crew apparently celebrating that their captain had landed a girl himself, bringing her bad to his room. It really wasn't even close to what it looked like.

Closing and locking the door behind him again he set her down silently. She wiped her face vigorously.

"Why're you crying?" He asked quietly, watching her wipe her face.

"That's a stupid question isn't it? Not only was that embarrassing but it was scary!" Lucy stiff-lipped her sentence, refusing to cry. She had done enough of that in her life already, yet she was falling back in it.

"Scary?"

Sighing because he seemed to just not understand she made sure her dress was flattened down and brushed some more dirt off of it. Then standing tall after slipping her shoe back on she walked around Natsu and put her hand on the doorknob.

"Thank-you for your offer but I think I will just go home now. I don't think I can handle this kind of a world on my own…Goodbye." Lucy said sadly, unlocking the door and opening it.

"Do…do you need to be walked home?" She heard behind her.

Somewhat shocked she turned to look at his face, he wasn't looking at her, his eyes cast off to the side in slight embarrassment.

"It can be dangerous for a woman to walk home alone this late." He stated, his view finally sliding over to look at her out of the corner of his eye. Although it was the first courteous thing he had said since she met him she had to deny it. She just wanted to be alone now, plus if her dad caught him he'd probably be in a lot of trouble.

"No thanks. I don't live far from here." Lucy lied as she limped through the door frame and closed the door behind her. Leaving the pirate captain Natsu Dragneel standing there staring at the wooden door.

* * *

Of course it hadn't gone the way she had planned, she had been rather tormented as she pushed through the bodies of Natsu's crew. Luckily enough she had managed to get out of that chaos unharmed and climbed down the latter onto solid ground again. She could feel her ankle swelling as she walked at a brisk pace but she refused to slow down. Especially when she heard dogs barking not too far away. In fact she actually started running. The mansion she lived in was up on the mountain outside of town, she was on the opposite side of town at the harbor. It would take her a while to get back home, she would be surprised if she managed to make it home before being caught. Her feet slapped against the pavement. It was getting really hard not to cry, she would get punished for this no doubt. Her failed attempt at freedom had been spoiled by a pirate, which was ironic in it's own way. Someone hellbent on freedom had convinced her not to try for her own. He didn't know her at all, he didn't know that she really was a princess from a wealthy family, from a mansion no less. He didn't know she had been cooped up in her room for her entire life, never leaving the house. This had been the first time she had even stepped outside of her house. The first time she had decided to change her destiny and to attempt to make herself happy. Natsu Dragneel had taken all that motivation from her, showing her that the world wasn't really what she had expected it to be, this world scared her and she felt like she needed to comfort of what she had known all her life. What did she think? That she could just adapt to a world that she never knew instantly? Natsu was right when he said she was crazy. Lucy was crazy. Especially now that she was heading back to her own cell of a room to be imprisoned the rest of her life.

She was giving up now. Lucy couldn't really live on her own, she didn't have a job or any real redeeming qualities, heck she'd probably just end up an expensive whore that way. Either that or a pirate, which she knew nothing about. So she was screwed out here in the real world without anyone to guide her in the right direction.

And the dogs were getting louder, she could actually hear the yells of the guards now. Ducking into a dark alleyway she jumped over sleeping bums and garbage lying on the ground. Running as fast as she could she tried to ignore her throbbing ankle, the wrapping job that Natsu had done was still holding up nicely, making if feel much better than it would have. Natsu was pretty good at first aid, probably because he was a pirate and they get in scraps all the time. Focusing back on what was happening now she turned the corner trying to lose her pursuers. The dogs had already picked up on her scent though so she knew it was rather hopeless, they'd probably release them soon and they'd catch up and attack. Her father was clearly mad at her, by allowing her to be captured in such a way. The dogs wouldn't kill her but they wouldn't have much mercy either. She had managed to lose them last time by climbing up a fire escape on a house but this was more of the run down part of the town, the houses weren't very high and there wasn't anywhere to escape by climbing them. Biting the side of her cheek she continued on her way, turning out of the alleyways. It would've been better to stay with Natsu but she had been embarrassed and had wanted to get out of there. Her stupid eyes had begun to produce more tears, and she fought them with all she had. She just needed to get home and everything would be fine again, well...normal again. That's when she stumbled. It had been hard enough to see in the dark but with tears in her eyes it had just gotten harder. She landed harshly on her forearms feeling the unforgiving pavement take some skin from her.

The dogs were so loud, she could hear them coming through the alley she had just come out of. They had been released no doubt and now they were upon her. There was no where she could run now. Turning over onto her back she looked at the alley entrance, waiting for what she knew would come. The snarls echoed loudly from the darkness and her heart smacked against her chest. She wasn't ready for this, she would never be ready for this. In a matter of milliseconds the dogs burst from the alley, skidding on their feet as they saw her. About five large wolf hybrids snarled at her, circling her. Her father had always wanted the best in tracking dogs, and he had paid good money for these and she could tell. Her eyes wide she watched at the first one lunged at her. Moving on instinct she kicked one of her legs out, the jaws of the dog closed around the fabric. Her dress ripped loudly and she couldn't help but scream in terror. The guards were still a ways away to be calling the dogs back, they definitely wouldn't be calling them back any time soon.

Lucy against five vicious dogs, she just wouldn't have a chance in hell. Another one snapped at her, it's teeth getting stuck on her sleeve, it ripped that off with ease. It was just a matter of time before one would get a hold of her skin. It came sooner than she expected as one chomped down on her ankle again. The exact same ankle that had already been bitten. Pain exploded up her leg as it tugged at her with enough force to drag her entire body towards itself. Suddenly filled with rage that this was even happening she sat up and with all the strength she could muster she punched the dog square in the nose. It was enough to make the dog retreat but only slightly. The other four stepping in for in, drool dripping from their open mouths.

They all lunged at the same time. Lucy slammed her eyes shut, she knew there was no defending herself this time. To her surprise she didn't feel the teeth biting into her own flesh, she only felt the cold pavement beneath her and blood slipping down her ankle again. She heard yelping and some thuds. Cracking her eyes opened slightly she flinched. There was someone standing in front of her, who hadn't been seconds ago, who had taken the brunt of the attack for her, their back to her. Glancing around quickly she saw that two dogs were already unconscious on the floor.

"See. I told you it was dangerous to walk home alone." A bright smile was flashed backwards in her direction. "And don't lie to me, your house isn't nearby at all, ya know lying is a very unladylike thing to do." He teased.

"N-Natsu.." She breathed, in complete disbelief. He had followed her? She caught the sight of blood running off his fingers as he shifted suddenly, pushing the two other dogs from him. They had both managed to get a good grip on him, one on his thigh and the other on one of his biceps. He stood tall though, seemingly unaffected by the injuries…and here she was unable to get up from just one. Natsu reached one of his hands around to his waist and Lucy noticed for the first time that he actually had a sword as he pulled it from the sheath. It shone in the moonlight as he put it between the dogs and the two of them. Natsu was protecting her? Why? He barely even knew her! Plus he was a freakin' pirate! Since when are pirates so caring and protective of people they don't know?

The guards had caught up now, seeing the extra threat one of them blew a whistle and the dogs retreated, the conscious ones trotting off behind them and sitting obediently.

"Oh good, the owners showed up. Now if you'd be so kind we'd like to be on our way without any more trouble." Natsu stated, his eyes boring into the commanding officer as he lowered his sword. Lucy stared at the pink-haired man's back, 'we'? 'We'd like to be on our way'? Natsu would be taking her? Where? The ship?

"It is a strict order that Lucy Heartfilia be returned to her father at once. We will be taking her back to the mansion." The guard instructed, taking a step forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword in a silent threat.

"And you go about it like this! By sending fucking dogs after her! Like hell I'd let her go with you guys now." Natsu growled, his voice growing louder, bringing his sword up again he dared the man to make a move. Lucy felt tears dribble off her chin, she hadn't even realized she had begun to cry but she certainly had. He was helping her! He was actually saving and defending her from her step-father and the life she didn't want. She actually had hope when he was here. But it was four against one, how good was Natsu with a sword anyway? Or was it just some kind of a bluff?

Praying to the heavens Lucy watched as the guards unsheathed their swords, preparing for the battle.

"We will use force sir." One of the guards warned.

"My favorite way to solve things." Natsu smirked egging them on. The commanding officer attacked first swinging his sword quickly at the law-breaking man. Natsu simply side-stepped, his sword clashing with the other. The officer held his ground as the two men pushed against each other in a battle of strength, swords scrapping together loudly. Another guard took his chance, stepping around Natsu about to jab forwards. Natsu moved quickly taking one hand from his hilt and punching the commander in the nose. Noticing the man behind him he spun narrowly dodging the thrust to his chest. Flipping his sword around he swung powerfully, landing a clean hit to the man's back. The two guards fell to the ground knocked out completely.

"Who's next?" Natsu cackled, spinning his sword around in a display of skills.

"You cheated!" One of the two remaining guards cried.

"What are you five? I'm a pirate, fighting clean is something I just don't do. Plus, last I checked four on one isn't fighting fair either." He responded, wagging his fingers at them in the universal sign to bring it on. The fight was over in a matter of seconds, Natsu ended up kicking one guard's feet out from under him making the guy collide into the other, their helmeted heads clanged together loudly and they fell to the ground unconscious. The remaining dogs had startled and scampered off in random directions. Lucy had watched the whole scene in awe, he had made it all look easy and fun. He hadn't even spilled any of their blood, minus the nose bleed he gave the commander. The pirate turned putting his sword away and stared at her.

"So you'd rather go through all of this than just sleep in my bed with me?" He questioned, kneeling down before her. "Do I smell bad or something?"

Lucy chuckled, oh on the contrary he actually smelt good, _really_ good. Better than she would let on for sure.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Natsu asked again, his eyes meeting hers.

"Just my ankle…it bite me again in the same place." She mumbled, remembering it was better to just tell the guy where it hurt, or he would find out on his own. He quickly inspected it, deciding it was okay for the moment he looked back up at her.

"Hm. So…do you want to go home? Or you wanna come with me?"

"Come with you?" She replied barely able to keep eye contact, his stare was just so intense it was hard to look at.

"Yeah, you said you wanted to become a pirate right? You wouldn't be the captain but I'm not too bad of a captain myself. But you'd still have to follow some orders, if you're fine with that then I'd welcome you into my crew."

There was that smile again. So she had the option of returning home or becoming a pirate. The option of pirate flashed brilliantly in her mind, it would be different but…wasn't that what she wanted? She did know someone now that would help her. Natsu had protected her and he would help her escape, would help her be happy again. Lucy was prepared to start changing her life, it wouldn't be easy but it was be better than not having a life at all.

She had what she wanted dangling in front of her face and there was no way she wasn't going to grab it.

"Aye aye, Captain."

* * *

**I give to props to anyone that got that thing Natsu said about natural hair color. If you didn't well...your cute and innocent and it's okay. Teehee! It's pretty dirty!**

**So I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please don't forget to read and review! That way I will update uber fast! I mean I said I would try to update later and it really hasn't been that long because you guys reviewed and made me happy!**

**It should become more interesting as we move on!**

**I wrote out like a page of ideas where this fic could go and I shall write them all! Hahah! I warn you now this may end up being the longest Fairy Tail fanfic ever written! I've just got so many bloody ideas I wanna write about! Raaaawr!**

**So, anyone who has read my other story The Forbidden Forest know that I write responses to my reviewers at the bottom of each chapters. So if you review keep an eye out for my reply in the next chapter! My god, it started taking up so much time and space to do it in my other fic but I really enjoy doing it!**

**So I will also be doing it for this fic, god help me.**

**To my reviewers!**

**LivingGlow: **Yes I shall be adapting her moreso into Lucy throughout the story for sure, I hope its done well enough to be Lucyish, but at first she is still from a rich family and not quite Lucy we know Lucy yet! :P Teehee! I hoped you enjoyed the update!

**Feao: **I do not know you but I did search your name up ^^ Your Enigma? story sounds very interesting! I wish you the best of luck on it ^^ Thanks a ton for reading, OH I'm jealous I wanna blackberry so bad! Well, Imma see how well I do with the first few chapters, I'm usually okay with correcting and proof reading but if I just can't do it anymore I'll make sure to PM you up for sure ^^

**OhtaSuzuke: **teehee! Thanks a ton! I know, I love pirates too. Plus there's just so much I can do with it cause they're moving from island to island! Rawr! I hope I satisfy your piratey needs! ^^

**tamersten: **Teehee, thanks a ton, hope its still well-written! Well I think I updated pretty quick eh? Took me all day but MEH, I just couldn't stop writing it :P Hope you enjoy it and no, Thank YOU!

**kay: **I was thinking about Natsu's motion sickness for a while and I think I have an idea about it, but I'm also contemplating just him not having it yeah, well when it comes up I'll havta decide hahaha :P Thanks a tons! I shall try my best ^^

**xAmineLuv: **Teehee, oh I shall indeed. well, I'm not 100% sure if I will or not, I guess we will find out later ahaha XP I know! Teehee, he thought she was a whore, poor girl.

**KaUiA: **Well I appreciate you thinking of Pming me but it's probably best to just review, especially if you want me to update quicker, but if your ever bored your welcome to blab whatever to me by Pming, I enjoy to blab about whatever haha. Why thankyou I'm glad your liking it so far, hope your still enjoying it! Haha, well, I will probably write Igneel when I get bored but Fight Club is a longer fic that I will start later for sure ^^ Thanks for reviewing and reading my page!

**0HorrorMasterOfTheUniverse0**: hey! I know you are, your so kind and review TFF all the time, your one of my favourites for sure ^^ I remember you of course. Oh it will continue, it'll be my next major project after TFF, I'm just having problems trying not to start it now, obviously failing a bit at it XP. Thanks a ton, keep up the awesome reviews *high five*

**Lisa-chan: **Why thankyou, I know, pirates are as free as can be, seriously I would become a pirate if I could...ya know if the world was like an anime and I was all good at fighting and stuff XD

**GodSlayerNatsu: **Yo! It's a pirates life indeed! AH I know I'm writing the next Chappy for TFF right now...it'll still be a bit though, I've got finals in a few days T.T But thankyou for reviewing! ^^

**Crystilia: **Why thankya! Hope you continue to read and enjoy! ^^

**Yellow: **Well damn I hope I can prove to be awesome! XP I like pirate AU's too! Hope you continue to read and enjoy ^^

**Rose Tiger: **Teehee, yeah it was pretty short, it was a preview anyway BUT I made this one pretty long so I hope it was good and satisfying for ya ^^ Thanks for reviewing!

**nalu: **gotta say love the name, huge, ridiculously huge nalu fan myself :P I have updateedddd hope you liked it ^^ thanks for reviewing!

**Princess Happy: **I'm glad you like it ^^ makes me happy, hope you continue to like it ^^ Thanks for reviewing!

**DarkFaerie0: **Oh, he is. XD when is he NOT really! Hahaha, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it ^^

**Xx-Confused-Angel-xX: **Well looky here, one of my favourite reviewers! ^^ Teehee, I'm glad your liking this one too! haha, he is a man, in this fic for sure. WELL IT WASS ALMOST RAPE. Except Natsu doesn't do stuff with whores...but now that Lucy isn't a whore...well I dunno. HAHA XP Well...Natsu got away without being Cyber Murdered so the story will continue YAAAY hahah. Haha I know, I've got a lot on my plate my god...oh well...Yeah I'm having a hard time not writing this story all the time raawwrr hahah. Its not too bad a cliffy, this one is better though ^^ I hope haha. Thanks a ton for reviewing!

**AMU: **HEY YOU! I'm so happy when I see my favourite reviewers from all my stuff on a new story, its a good feel man. Well they were mean and gross and stuff XD Oh he is, he's always tempting haahah. Oh she has NO IDEA. My god the stuff I have in store for them is insane, I don't know if this story will ever end! ahhh! Exciting! Thankyou so much, I hope you continue to enjoy ^^.


	3. The Past That Will Not Pass

**Okay, I apologize to TFF fans that I updated this first. Do not worry though, I have been writing my other fic...there's just important scenes I wanna work on and do well before I post it AND ITS TAKING FOREVER...my god I made myself depressed writing it today! SO I shall post a chappy of this in the meantime! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Natsu...cause we all know if I owned Natsu...I would make him Lucy's sex slave...What? Say what? No, I didn't say that at all...no way...I meant...uhhh...Lucy's ...close...friend...O.o...yet they already are, look at that...I had sugar today.  
**

* * *

"Aye aye, Captain." Lucy grinned at him, earning a flash of his canines. Before she could utter another word he leaned forward, offering his hand. She took it willingly and he pulled and lifted her to her feet. Wobbling slightly she tried to balance until he grabbed one of her hands and moved her arm around his neck. It was somewhat awkward because he was quite taller than herself. Wrapping his other hand around her waist he picked her up slightly taking most of the weight off her ankle. Lucy blushed at the close contact but allowed him to aid her. It didn't quite work the way she had hoped, it still hurt and even though he was taking most of the weight off it still stung and caused her to limp and stumble once or twice.

Noticing her obvious troubles he stopped abruptly and bent over, his other arm snaking around the back of her legs. Standing up straight he swept her off her feet and into his arms. Then he set off towards his ship, carrying Lucy bridal style, ignoring the quiet protests and words of embarrassment. She let up on them quickly though, with her ankle like this she couldn't complain. She thought she had been embarrassed before.

Yet, she had to admit she did like being carried like this; it made her feel like…well, like she was a bride. Flushing furiously at the thought she tried to distract herself by looking around at the surroundings as he walked. No one was outside anymore and the scenery was rather run down and boring to look at.

"So…why didn't you kill the guards?" She found herself asking before she even registered the question in her mind.

"They were doing their jobs. They may not be that good of people for following those orders but the real bad guy was whoever instructed them to. I wouldn't kill them for doing their jobs, beat them up yeah but they might have families to return to. I don't like taking people away from their families, that would just make me the bad guy." He explained, keeping his eyes trained straight ahead. Lucy liked how he hadn't bombarded her with questions as to why and what had happened. It was like he just accepted her regardless.

"Hmm, you're a weird pirate you know." She laughed, feeling him only shrug in response. That's when she noticed the blood trailing down his arm.

"Hey! Your bleeding! We should wrap that right now!" Lucy decided, squirming in his arms.

"It's fine, we'll fix it when we get back." Natsu responded, his grasp tightening to make sure she wouldn't get out.

"No! You're bleeding right now!"

"You're bleeding too ya know."

"Ya but not as bad as you."

"Don't worry about it. It's not as bad as it looks."

"You're so stubborn."

"Says the one that got chased by dogs because she didn't want to sleep in my bed. That's more stubborn if you as me."

"Fine, just don't get blood on my dress."

"…Ya cause that would ruin it right? It's in such perfect condition as it is…all ripped and shit. You know I'm bleeding cause I had to rescue you."

"I know, and I thank-you for that, but it's the only thing I have to wear and blood is hard to get out of this fabric."

"So the fact that it has holes and one sleeve doesn't bother you but a blood stain does?"

"Your shirt has one sleeve too."

"Yeah but that's the way I bought it."

"Why would you buy half a shirt? Was it fifty per cent off or did you pay full price and get ripped off?"

"I can't believe we are having this conversation."

"Okay, fine. I'll end it. Just do your best at not bleeding on me."

"My god, you are a princess aren't you?"

"Well if you stopped and let me wrap your wounds we wouldn't be having this conversation at all…and for your information I _was _a princess, but now I'm a pirate. So you aren't allowed to call me a princess anymore."

"Giving your Captain orders? If you act like a princess I'll call you a princess. I can do what I want, I'm the Captain."

"No, your stubborn."

"A stubborn _Captain_." He corrected.

Lucy laughed, he could be so ridiculous. She laughed freely, glad to finally be able to do so, she could laugh to her heart's content. She felt so light without the weight of the mansion bearing down on her. Without her step-father's eyes watching her every movement, without having to be the perfect reserved princess. Lucy was drunk off of this feeling, in absolute bliss, this carelessness was what she had always wanted and she had finally been able to find it.

Natsu chuckled along with her, still trudging along back to the ship.

"So, now that I will be living on the ship where am I going to sleep? Are there any other women on bored?" Lucy asked after her laugh session, beginning to look towards the future.

"Well…um there is one. Erza, she's kinda just considered one of the guys though so she sleeps in the men's quarters too. No one bugs her, she's crazy strong. For now you can just sleep in my room, if you don't mind, from there we can figure something out. It's either that or the men's quarters. We used to have a small woman's quarters but we don't anymore. We can probably rebuild it with the crew. I'll have to introduce you to everyone tomorrow."

Lucy's heart practically convulsed, 'for now just sleep in my room'. She had never slept in the same bed with a guy before, it was exhilarating and yet terrifying at the same time. Not that he would try anything…she hoped. She just wasn't ready for that kind of thing! Nope, no way.

Yet she trusted him for some reason, it probably wasn't the best idea in the whole world. Climbing aboard a ship with a pirate she just met, what would stop them from selling her into slavery? Or keeping her as their own personal slave?

Still it would be better than what she had been living like before…well…probably.

Anyway, forsaking that thought entirely she allowed herself to be carried in the arms of the first man she had ever met, back to the comfort of her new home. Lucy wouldn't change a single thing about it.

* * *

They got back in good time, most of the crew had gone inside but there were a few still on deck. Most passed out on the ground from the alcohol they had consumed, a few nodded in respect at the Captain as he passed, some raised and eyebrow in question but didn't mutter a word. Natsu walked into his quarters and shut the door with his foot behind him. Shifting Lucy slightly he held her up with one arm and flicked the lock shut, seemed to be a habit of his to always lock the door. Lucy couldn't help noticing that she had been right…he could hold her up easily with one of his arms.

After securing the door he carried her to the chair and set her down carefully.

"For a pirate you are rather gentle." She observed out loud.

"Ha, I'd never hear the end of it from you if I wasn't. I'm just saving my ears." He laughed, grabbing the same first aid supplies as before.

"Can't you just take a bloody compliment?" Lucy huffed, why did he have to ruin every moment with his coarse words? Ignoring her question with a sigh he knelt down and began to unwrap her ankle. Gentle fingertips once again skimmed across her skin. He really was gentle for a pirate, it was so unusual.

"So, what were you doing before you became a pirate?" She asked curiously.

"That doesn't matter. Everyone here has no past anymore. We are pirates and that's all we are. Regardless of who we were before we are all the same now, holding the title of pirate. A big family. We need nothing else, the past would only hold us back when we aim for the future."

Lucy found herself smiling, she liked the sound of that. That's exactly what she wanted, to forget her past and just make a different future. Have fun in the present and look to the future.

"All done. Try not to hurt it again kay? If you do you might need to see an actual doctor."

"Don't you guys have a medic on this ship?"

For some reason Natsu seemed to fall silent, his eyes were hidden in shadow as looked to the ground. A few moments passed, and Lucy saw that she must have hit some kind of a nerve.

"No, we don't." He said simply, beginning to clean his arm. Jumping into action she slipped off her chair and took the cloth from him.

"I'll help you. I owe you that much." Lucy decided, Natsu looked tired and didn't argue, allowing her to take the wrapping from his hands and begin her own work. She worked quietly, trying to be as gentle as he had been with her. He didn't flinch or anything as she cleaned and dressed the wound. It was like he was somewhere else completely. Trying not to focus on the fact that this was the first time she had felt such muscles she attempted to focus solely on wrapping.

"We…used to have a doctor." He mumbled. Lucy wasn't sure if he was even aware he was speaking but she nodded and allowed him to continue.

"But…she died." He breathed. She couldn't help but pause as she wound the bandage around the dog bite, she tucked the end under a different strap of fabric finishing her work quickly. That would explain why he had fell quiet before, it was obviously something that was still painful in his heart. Sinking onto her butt she stared at him wondering what to say. She wasn't really good with comforting people; she had never really had the chance to.

Seeing that the moment was growing more depressing with the silence, Lucy decided to fill it.

"My father died when I was young. Then my mom remarried the man that is currently my step-father. She died in an accident soon after…but it helps to think of it like they are still living, in my heart you know? It's painful to loose someone you care about, it's important to mourn for them but then carry on with them in your memory. They will always be with you, guiding you along your way. My parents will always be with me now, everywhere I go, in a way it makes me happy having them so close all the time." Lucy said softly, hoping that her words helped in some way.

To her surprise his lips tugged into a smile, even his eyes smiled at her.

"Yeah, I know. It was just rather sudden…sorry 'bout your parents." He stated, giving her a genuine sympathetic look.

"It's in the past right? It happened and now it's over and so I look to the future. Isn't that what a pirate does?" She chuckled, using his own words.

"Aye, it sure is." He smiled fully now, turning his attention to his thigh he took the wrapping from her. "I'll wrap this one thanks." Natsu winked at her. Lucy let him take it, after all the bite to his thigh was pretty high and he would probably need to take his pants off to wrap it properly, plus she had never been winked at before and it had left her rather stunned. Blushing she hopped over to the bed and fell onto the sheets letting the scent wash over her again. She didn't know what she liked so much about it but she did. It was like the most comforting smell she ever knew. Squashing her face into the pillow she tried to ignore the fact that he was undressing in the same room. He could have at least left to do that! Deciding she was too tired to complain she turned on her side, facing the wall and let her eyelids droop. Scooting forwards a bit she left some room for him on the bed, as much as she was freaking out about it she could at least let him sleep beside her. Really he saved her and let her join his crew, she owed him her life really. Sleeping beside each other was nothing really, it was just something to her because she was brought up differently. But hell, she was going to be a pirate, she should get used to change somewhere along the line. He was taking a while to fix himself up and Lucy began to loll off to sleep. Still in her large gown Lucy drifted off and soon found herself amongst her dreams.

Jerking awake she found herself sweating profusely. A layered dress probably wasn't the best thing to fall asleep in. She was wearing a lighter dress underneath it all, although that one was pretty skin-tight. Shifting uncomfortably she realized she just didn't care anymore and putting her hands behind her back began to undo the lace of her corset. Masterfully doing it in a few minutes she sat up in the bed and somehow reefed the dress over her head. Relief hit her like a ton of bricks, it was nice to be able to breath and cool off a bit. Suddenly coming back to reality she glanced around for Natsu, he wasn't in the bed beside her. He wasn't standing or sitting anywhere else in the room. What was going on?

Suddenly becoming nervous she slid over to the side of the bed preparing to get up and look for him. Moving her feet off the side of the bed she felt something tickle her foot. Flailing madly she flung herself backwards in terror. When no monster crawled up on the bed after her she mustered the courage to inch slowly to peek over the side of the bed. There was something there! Feeling her stomach tense she moved back again, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness a bit better. Once she was sure she could make out most of the objects in the room she tried again, peeping over the side of his bed.

It was Natsu. Feeling worried for him she was about to reach down and see if he was okay when she heard a soft snore. He was just sleeping. Lucy would be lying if she said she wasn't relieved. It had been his spiky hair that had tickled her foot. Resting her chin on her palms she watched the pirate sleep for a while. He had slept on the floor on purpose, even though he had claimed to not be a courteous pirate. Natsu was really something else. His arm was used as a pillow under his head as he twitched lightly in his sleep. He was kind of cute when he slept Lucy found herself thinking briefly. Wasn't he cold though? Wouldn't he catch a cold like that? Natsu was wearing his scarf still but nothing on his torso, some loose baggy shorts and that was it, or maybe they were boxers of some sort. Was that really what he slept in? He slept in his scarf? Lucy giggled quietly, what a weird guy. She turned and grabbing her dress she threw it over Natsu and onto the middle of the floor.

Lucy just had to forsake her past right? Her past included all her teachings about being a proper lady. After all, a proper lady wouldn't sleep in the same bed as a pirate she had just met.

There those teachings went out the window as she reached down and grabbed his hand. He woke up instantly, eyes darting from his hand to her eyes quickly. Upon seeing her his body relaxed as the tension left. Moving silently she pulled lightly on his hand, resisting at first he narrowed his eyes at her quizzically. Ignoring the look she tugged again and this time he followed, climbing onto the bed cautiously, after all the first time he had done this he had been shoved off. Her heart beat fiercely against her chest as she lifted the blanket up signaling him to get under as well. He followed her instruction, his eyes never leaving hers to make sure she was indeed okay with this. Natsu pulled the covers over himself and smiled at her warmly. Lucy returned the gesture and flopped onto her other side, facing the wall once again. She felt the bed creak as he turned in his own spot until he got comfortable.

Doing a victory dance in her head she approved of her action. She wouldn't have done that kind of thing yesterday but now she was different. No more rules, Lucy would have fun! She enjoyed the way her heart raced, she had hardly ever felt that before in her life. The exhilarating feeling she knew she would become addicted to and yet she was perfectly okay with that.

Turning her head she glanced back at the man laying beside her, his chest rising and falling steadily as he laid on his side. The blanket was lightly cast over his body coming up to the middle of his back. His scarf splayed out behind him, the frayed ends almost tickling her cheek as she watched him. The natural head of spiky pink hair rested softly on the pillow beside her. Staring at his back for a while she couldn't help but notice that the vast array of muscles that made up his back had scars sprinkled all over it. Scar tissue decorated his skin, crisscrossing in long lines in some places. Lucy found herself wondering where they were all from. He obviously had gotten injured a lot throughout his life, he was a pirate and that did entail a lot of battles. Most looked like sword wounds, a few circular, possibly bullet wounds. There were a few she couldn't confirm. Even some that looked like bite marks. Somewhat like the one she had received but a lot larger. What looked like the old scar of teeth marks traveled from under his arm, across his shoulder blades and down his back past where the blanket covered. That looked like the worst wound he had received, it was like a giant dog had got hold of him or something, but that was preposterous. A dog that size…would have to be at least three meters tall in order to have the jaw size able to leave something like that. She frowned at his back, what did his front look like? Just what kind of pain had he experienced in his lifetime? She had an overwhelming urge to reach out and touch him, just place her hand on his scarred back. This was just natural curiosity kicking in now and she knew that. No way would she actually reach out and touch him at all, that would just be crazy.

So why was her hand against his back right how?

Internally screaming at herself and just plain freaking out at the inability to control her own body she forced her face completely straight, hiding the chaos beneath. Nothing on it at all, no emotion whatsoever. Especially when he lifted his head to turn and look at her, she kept her poker face on. She stared back at him rather wide-eyed, unable to even explain why she had done that...and was still doing it. 'Ya, I just wanted to touch you and lookie there I did haha!' just wouldn't work in this situation. Especially with the look he was giving her right now. It was soft and gentle and literally made her want to melt into a puddle. Yet it still held the same intensity it always did, the way it felt like he was looking into her very soul. It was hypnotizing and left her utterly speechless. Yeah, she didn't have anything to say anyway but even if she did she wouldn't be able to get any words out. Just one look and she wouldn't be able to function enough to say any words. What had she gotten herself into? Didn't she say that she'd just sleep in the bed with this guy and nothing else?

Then why did she feel like she had just provoked something else?

Gunshots fired outside, the sound reverberating inside the Captain's quarters. Lucy jerked, startled. Yells irrupted from the deck and Natsu was already on his feet, pulling some actual pants over his shorts. Before she could utter a word he had grabbed his sword and ripped the door open, running out quickly.

"Stay here." He shouted back at her swinging the door closed behind him. Lucy sat there in the bed, her hand still outstretched to where he had been seconds ago. Her fingers curled back into her palm as her head reeled from what had just happened. She stumbled out of bed, like hell she would pretend nothing was happening, she'd have to at least take a peek outside! Lucy was a naturally curious person. Taking the blanket with her she thudded across the room, constantly hearing yelling and shouting out on deck. Over all the voices she heard Natsu's, yelling instructions to set sail. Didn't he say they were going to do that in the morning? What was going on out there?

Reaching the door she cracked it open a bit, there was lots of gunfire, the bullets whizzing through the air. The crew was out on deck along with…Lucy's hand flew to her mouth, guards? Her father's guards.

"THROW THEM OVERBOARD MEN!" Natsu shouted, dodging a quick swipe from a sword whipping around with a kick he sent the men over the railing and into the water below. "GET AWAY FROM THE MAINLAND!"

Lucy watched in amazement at the skills his whole crew showed, they followed his orders directly punching or somehow throwing the guards overboard, a few with creativity. Others protecting those that were busy with the sails, they were all like a well oil machine as they worked together flawlessly. Some of the tougher guards proving to be tougher opponents as they fought back and were matched evenly. Her eyes skimmed the smaller sized battlefield, finding the pink head of hair ducking and disappearing as he ran though the fight helping any of his crew that were in trouble. Taking out his opponents with ease, he spun and dodged making it all look easy. That's when she spotted the one person she feared to see the most. Her step-father. He was actually out there fighting! He had a sword and a gun at the ready, he had always been an exceptional sharp-shooter. In fact that had been how him and her mother had met, her mother was very talented with a gun as well.

The guards Natsu beat up earlier must have woken and reported the news; that Natsu the pirate had stolen his daughter. Gritting her teeth out of anger she looked around Natsu's room, finding exactly what she was looking for. A gun.

Running through the battle wasn't an easy thing to do with her ankle swollen but with the adrenaline now pumping through her veins she managed to dodge a few swords aimed at her. She clenched the gun in her hand desperately, running as fast as her feet would carry her towards her so-called dad. The man that had tormented her and kept her a prisoner in her own house her entire life. Lucy hated him, he had not loved her Mother, he had just married her for the money. He had taken everything away from her, his poisonous personality had killed her mother slowly Lucy was sure of it. She had loved her mom so much, she had been everything to Lucy. Once he came along she died and he hadn't cared the least bit. And now, he was taking more from her. Lucy had finally found what she wanted an he was here to take it from her as always.

"FATHER!" She screamed, bringing up the gun and aiming straight at him. The fight seemed to slow around her as he turned. The fake smile he always wore still plastered on his face. His dark hair slicked back and perfect, the way he liked everything. His eyes looked down at her, hatred clear as day in his gaze.

"Lucy, you've been a very bad girl. Why don't you just come home with daddy." He hissed like the snake he was.

"No! I'm a pirate now! You can have all the money! Just take it! I don't want any of it! So just leave me alone now!" Lucy screeched, tormented by the very sight of him.

"You're a pirate now are you? Playing dress up is for children Lucy. Who has filled your mind with all of these ideas of grandeur? Ah, yes. That's it. I remember now. It was reported that it was a pirate named Natsu. I believe he's the Captain here no? I've heard of him before, he's actually quite renown. I heard he's easy to spot with his pink hair." Lucy's step-father smiled, his eyes scanning the fight.

"Stop it! Just leave!" Lucy cried, unable to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. Her hands shook as she pointed the gun at him, he had ignored it from the beginning. Like he knew she didn't have the guts.

"Ah! There he is…let's see. Daddy will get rid of the big bad pirate for you." He muttered, closing one eye as he raised the gun towards Natsu who was occupied fighting with some guards.

"NO! STOP! NATSU!" Lucy screamed. Natsu's ears picked up on her voice and he paused, turning towards her he saw the unfolding scene before him but it was already too late for him to move.

The gun fired.

Blood splattered onto the deck.

After all her mother and him had been the best sharp-shooters around.

* * *

**Well, if that isn't a horrible cliffy I don't know what is!** **Mwuahahah! I am so evil!**

**I know you guys hate these, well most of you do but man you guys always come back for more. I find cliffies leave me excited and mad at the same time! Unless I write them then it's fun?**

**Sorry. BUT Thank everyone for reviewing! I really appreciate it! I will always update so much faster with reviews! ^^**

To my reviewers:

**KaUiA: **Teehee! Thanks a ton! I shall make sure to cover that later for sure ;) I'm not 100% decided if I should include something like that or not yet. I hope she will! ^^ Thanks for reviewing!

**Badger Face: **Hahah, I know. I was just sitting there one day and I'm like...what if Natsu was a pirate? Awesomeness thats what. Yeah, he is older and that pretty much makes him manlier :P the crew will be up later for sure. PLUS don't forget as the adventure ensues people CAN come aboard and join as well! I absolutely love Natsu's new outfit...I don't know what it is but the badassery it emits is amazing. I just love it and he looks so good in it GAH! Haha, thanks a ton for reviewing! ^^

**kieljoy: **Yeah, I'm gonna try my best to get them into character better its just that they are in different positions than usual ^^' Oh no worries, it'd be no fun without some more fairy tail characters!

**OhtaSuzuke: **yeah, he's a tough ol' pirate but a softie inside :P teehee I hope you enjoyed this chappy! thanks for reviewing!

**xAniimeLuv: **Yay! I'm glad you love it, that makes me happy too! I shall continue indeed. Thanks a ton! ^^

**dartya: **Hahahah! I remember reading that originally in Fruit's Basket and it took me a bit to figure out! But I laughed really hard when I did and thought it suited this moment too! I know, my corrupted mind is spreading the dirty filth! hahah thanks for reviewing! ^^

**RedRose43: **DAww, why thankyou I'm glad your liking it so far! I know...Natsu+Pirate=nbcwionw too many awesome emotions. That's why I just had to do it...I couldn't find any to read so Imma make one haha! OKAI I hope this was soonish? thanks for reviewing! ^^

**inukagome9193: **Inuyasha fan? I really like that anime/manga as well ^^ I'm glad your liking my story! ^^ thanks for updating!

**Rose Tiger: **Which part was harsh? He was harsh a few times :P but he's a pirate now! Arrggg so he be all mean and piratey! Hahah...not really but he is a bit different. Dun worry he be nicer later ^^

**Lisa-chan: **Sup Sup in the hiiiizzzzeeeeeaaaaa? gangstaaaa? Hahah, well...she will have...and...but not...and...then when...turtle...like a pizza...then...and that about sums it up. hahah, I dun tell you yet! Sounds like a pretty good idea indeed hmm...well Erza is defs there! She already be a pirate arrggg! Say what? school blarrg I hated it, got bullied like _all the time_. Don't really know why...they didn't really have a good reason...ahah...you stay away from people except boys eh? oh you flirt you! high five! sp? dude...catonja? yes...that is an appropriate combination indeed. I believe myself to be a ninja as well. that and a pony. jk I don't think I'm a pony that'd be weird. I had a lot of sugar today omg can't you tell...but they had timbits at the dining centre and I just. couldn't. resist. Haha...ANYWAY thanks a ton for reviewing! ^^ ciao ciao!

**cerrdy: **ansupwiug you made me flail out of happiness. Wow, sixteen hours a day? that's pretty impressive hahah, I'm impressed that your a comic book artist. I've always liked to draw but...don't really have the skills hahah. Do you like your job? GAH, thankyou so much! Seriously...like the nicest review I've ever had...makes me wanna cry in happiness. Hahah, I'm very flattered thankyou very much! Grraaaaah don't tempt me! I would so totally run off to the comic industry and forsake my studies right now! Truthfully I'd like to make my own manga...like really bad. I'd like to _draw it _but I'm in University for a bachelor of chemistry...so I'm in a different ballpark entirely :P but I don't mind too bad. Damn your too nice! hahah, I'm glad you took some time to review me ^^ it means a lot. I sure hope so, I'm very excited about this fic, I wrote down so many ideas and I keep adding to the list it's crazy. Thankyou very much for reviewing! I hope you find the time to do so again soon ^^

**Princess Happy: **:P dirty Natsu is dirty. hahahah, if it had been the first time I heard that I probably wouldn't have understood for a long whiillleee. thankyou very much! ^^

**yuri is awsome: **yuri is awesome for reviewing :P thanks a ton!

**Skyelara: **hahah, I know eh? I just couldn't help but put that in! XD oh thankyou, I'm glad you think so, some people are commenting that they are pretty OOC but...they aren't the same. BUT I'll try to bring them moreso into character as time moves on ^^ AH, hey would you mind telling me when you see those things? like mistakes word/grammar wise? I've heard that a few times and when I read it again I occasionally see some misspelled words but I can't find much else. If you could just holler at me when you see something then I can fix it for next time and I won't keep doing it ^^ please and thanks a ton if you will. teehee thankyou very much! I'm glad your liking it ^^ thanks for reviewing ^^

**NatsuXLucyForever: **Thankyou very much! Hahah I just couldn't resist, Natsu is awesome but pirates are awesome too...sooo...I added two together hahah. Oh that's awesome! I'm glad to have you aboard! ^^ Well, I think I've come up with an idea about it...it's pretty random but it'll leave room for other things...that probably doesn't make sense right now but...you'll see hahah. ^^ thanks a ton for reviewing!

**souleatermerry: **Aw shucks, I'm glad your a fan ^^ that makes me happy! Ha! I know, I've got stories up my wazoo and I wanna write instead of studying for finals! -_- which is really not good! AW that's so nice! hahah! I'm flattered you'd do that hahah, I had an account for a long time without writing stories, it's nice to keep track and get notified of everything that has updated! ^^ thanks a ton for your review!

**Yellow: **Awww, don't be. I have no confidence in my skills whatsoever. I still don't think I'm that good cause I used to be told that, but that's the thing, the more you write...the more you naturally get better at it. I write just cause its fun and makes me happy haha! I would write longer chappies but man it takes a long time to write ones this long even! And I'm sure you guys wanna know it sooner then later ^^ . Hahah that joke teehee, maybe I'll have Lucy remember what it means later hahaha. thankyou for reviewing! ^^

**LittleCopperRidingHood: **Aw, yeah I'm almost done that one now! ^^ I'm glad your enjoying my stories that makes me happy! thanks I will! hahah, yeah I thought I should throw that one in for sure XP thankyou hope you enjoyed this chappy too! ^^


	4. Don't Worry Be Happy

**WOW wholey I didn't update in a while! ENJOY!**

* * *

Lucy had always believed that her step-father had been jealous of her mother. Her skills with the gun were above his own, she was quicker with the trigger and just slightly more accurate. Even though it hadn't been by much Lucy could feel the inferiority complex growing within the man. Eventually he forbid her from practicing with her gun. Lucy had grown to be the spitting image of her mother, probably one of the reasons why her step-dad had treated her so poorly. Inheriting her mother's looks had always been something Lucy had been proud of regardless, she didn't think that inheriting her mother's sharpshooter skills was even possible but…here she was. The sharpshooter abilities had been passed through the genes, Lucy realized this as she pulled the trigger.

She fired a split-second before her so called father. The bullet had gone straight through the back of his hand, causing the gun to fly from his grip and clatter onto the deck. Lucy didn't move from her position, holding the gun as she watched her father grasp at his wrist. He gripped it tightly as he stared through the new hole in it. Blood poured profusely out of the new wound.

Then he turned towards Lucy, his normally calm refined face blatantly showed the anger within.

"YOU BITCH!" he bellowed as he stalked towards her. Unconsciously taking a step back Lucy kept the gun up at the ready, she would fire again if it was necessary.

"It'll be your head for that. You're just like your mother. She should've stayed in line, if she had maybe she'd still be alive! I'll make sure you join your whore of a mother soon!" Lucy stepped back again, her knees threatening to give out on her.

"What do you mean? Are you saying…y-you…killed my mother?" It came out like a breathe. That couldn't be true…it just couldn't. He wasn't a good man but he wasn't on this level of evil, was he?

"No, _I_ didn't. I wouldn't have dirtied my hands with that. When you have money you can hire people to do things for you. She was a waste of my time but man, she was packed full of money! Too bad she left shit like you behind. You never did what I told you to do either; I was actually in the process of hiring the same guy again, for you this time. Some other kind of unfortunate accident and you'd be gone, simple as that. Then you up and run away? I wouldn't get any money from insurance that way dear. You just need to die; it's all your good for."

Lucy felt the gun slip from her fingers. Her mother had been murdered? They had told her it was an accident! Her mother had actually been killed in cold blood? The reality shattered her very soul. Her mother, the beautiful woman who smiled and had so much patience, who had held her when she was sad and always said what Lucy needed to hear. She had died because of greed? Because the man standing before her wanted money? That wasn't fair. Lucy wanted her mother. She wanted her parents back! Standing in a daze she wobbled as her legs shook beneath her, this man had taken everything she had held dear. The world began to fade as she sunk into herself, the pain inside was unbearable.

Distantly she heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed and footsteps growing closer. In all the chaos she heard only certain things. The boat rocked slightly as it rose and fell in the waves, the water lapping against the wooden sides. The wind as it picked up and whistled through the cracks of the ship. All these little things she noticed but she didn't actually feel anything right now, more like she was out of her body. Floating above and watching.

* * *

Natsu heard a scream, Lucy's scream. Fearing the worst his eyes searched the crowd and found her. What was wrong with her? He had told her to stay in his room! Not only that but she had his fricken' gun! Following her aim he found who she was pointing at. An older gentleman, who was pointing a gun aimed straight at him. Before Natsu could even move a gunshot echoed through the air causing him to flinch roughly, waiting for the bullet to find its way into his own flesh…but the bullet never hit him. No, it hadn't hit because the man hadn't fired his gun at all. The gunshot had come from Lucy, who had shot the man in his hand, shooting the gun right out of it. Being slightly impressed at first Natsu cast that aside when he watched the two converse and Lucy eventually drop her gun. He could hear every word clearly enough, he had always had exceptional hearing. She couldn't drop her only weapon in the middle of a fight! That was just plan suicide!

A sick feeling crept up his spine as the man walked towards the blonde slowly, unsheathing his sword. This was just like it had been before. Sprinting he swung his sword blocking numerous stray strikes as he ran full tilt towards her. It felt like everything was going so slowly, his muscles just wouldn't move him fast enough. What a stupid girl she was, dropping her weapon and spacing out. Even with news like that she shouldn't be that stupid as to accept death walking right towards her. There was always something to live for. _Always. _

Yet here she was, doing exactly that. Growling low in his throat he finally closed in on the man who was about to take Lucy down. Delivering a harsh kick to his side Natsu sent him rolling into the railing of the ship. The wood splintered on impact.

"Lucy! What the hell is wrong with you!" picking up his own gun he shoved it back into her hand. She barely responded at all, her eyes unfocused and her face pale.

"Oi, Lucy?" he asked softer this time. Tears poured from her eyes as she finally made eye contact with him.

"M-my…mother! H-he…my step-dad…he killed…he killed her!" Lucy sobbed, Natsu nodded, he had already heard. He remembered the way Lucy had told him about her parents, she had loved them dearly he could tell by how she spoke of them. It hurt her that they weren't there anymore and this bastard had just told her he had taken her mother away from her, for a shitty reason no less. Heck, there was not a reason behind what he had done that Natsu would listen to. Without a word he turned towards the man now getting up from his spot. He stalked towards the man, sword at his side. So this was her step-dad? Not a good guy Natsu decided, especially when he raised his sword towards Natsu, a cocky grin on his face.

"You don't want to do that." Natsu replied in a low growl.

"Oh? I think I do. You see, you can't just kidnap my daughter."

"I think I can, I'm a pirate. Plus, _you see_, you can't just kill your own daughter." Natsu mocked the man. Apparently the murderer felt tired of talking, he took that moment to lunge forwards, his sword coming down in a quick blur. Going on the defensive Natsu brought his sword up to block. The clash of metal was loud and Natsu felt the shock wave travel down his arm. Her step-father had quite the swing, even with one of his hands damaged like that. Natsu's left hand pressed against the blunt end of his sword to keep it balanced. A quick flash under their swords caught Natsu's eye, a smaller blade, a dagger. Reacting quickly Natsu's hand slipped off from his blade and reached down. The smaller blade slipped between his fingers as Natsu nimbly caught the surprise attack, the blade stopping mere millimeters from Natsu's abdomen. Gripping her father's hand harshly Natsu glared into the man's eyes.

"That's a dirty trick, old man."

"I'm just fighting on equal ground with you, pirates don't fight fair."

Natsu's eyes flared in anger as he clenched the guy's hand harder, hearing a satisfying crunch as bones snapped.

"Someone like you has no right to look down on pirates!" Natsu roared over the wails of the other man, pushing the other man back a few steps. Her father held his bloodied broken hand to his chest as he clambered away from the pirate.

For a moment it seemed like he had stumbled, her step-father fell sideways and rolled onto the ground. Soon enough Natsu understood what the movements had been for as the man came out of the roll with his gun in his good hand. He had dived to get his gun that Lucy had shot out of his hand earlier. His hand had taken the brunt of the damage; the gun looked okay, at least, in proper firing condition.

Natsu couldn't help the grimace of disgust that flashed across his face. This guy really was scum, bringing a gun to a sword fight. Natsu stood there quietly as the other man got to his feet; his gun aimed and ready pointing right at Natsu's chest.

"Drop the sword."

Natsu didn't move.

"Drop the sword or my poor daughter gets killed by a 'pirate' in a horrible accident." The man continued, pointing the gun in Lucy's direction. She sat there sobbing on the floor, unaware of what surrounded her.

Natsu threw his sword aside, the tip slicing into the wood and keeping the sword upright. The pirate's face was calm as he watched the gun turn back to his direction.

"What an obedient boy you are. Now, you die."

Natsu's mouth broke out into a smile as there was a flash of metal. Lucy's father's eyes grew wide, his gun falling to small pieces. Only the handle of the gun remained in his hand.

"Geez Natsu. You can't even handle this piece of shit?" A dark-haired man laughed beside Lucy's father. His own sword glinting in the moonlight as he flipped it around in his hand, finished with his quick attack.

"Well, I know how much you like surprising people Gray. I thought I'd let you take this one. But man, you should've seen his face when you sliced up his gun, priceless."

"I did, I was right there you dipshit."

"Bastard, you picking a fight?"

"You two! Stop fighting!" A woman's voice hollered from across the deck. The two men snapped out of their stare-down and turned back to the man in question. He was cowering slightly now, clearly stricken by the fact someone had sliced his gun up without him even seeing it. His sword was now in his hand, shaking with effort as he tried to hold it still.

Scoffing at the pitiful display of the man who was just moments ago so confident in his actions Natsu ripped his sword out of the ground, approaching the man again. With one swift move he disarmed her father, the sword clattering to the ground. Natsu grabbed the collar of his expensive shirt, pulling him up to look straight into his eyes.

"Do you see how easy it would be for me to end you right now?" Natsu growled, his sword coming dangerously close to the man's face. "I'm not going to let you live out of pity. If anyone deserves to kill you, it's Lucy. I'll let you go to live your sad excuse of a life in fear that she will come back and kill you. You owe her more than your life. I'll train her to be the best damn pirate this world has ever seen and then she'll be seeing you again." Letting the man go he stumbled and fell against the railing of the ship, using it to hold his body up.

"Gray, could you throw this trash into the sea please? I'm tempted to just kill him right here and now." Natsu muttered, his eyes narrowed at the man. It wasn't Natsu's choice to kill the man; Lucy wasn't in the right state of mind to decide or take any sort of action right now.

"I don't see anything wrong with just slicing him up right here and now." Gray replied but did as he was told. Swinging his sword expertly so the man couldn't even defend himself Gray slammed the hilt of the sword into his stomach. He let the man hit the ground with a loud thud before dragging his unconscious sorry ass over to the side of the boat and roughly throwing him over.

"Dunno how he's gonna swim though." He chuckled darkly, rubbing his hands together as he walked from the railing, back towards Natsu and the new girl.

Sometimes Natsu believed that Gray may be a better swordsman than himself, but he would never admit that. Not in a million years. The deck was much quieter now, all the guards had apparently been thrown overboard. Crew members were talking amongst themselves, joking and helping each other with the small wounds they had received. No one had been majorly hurt. Natsu made his way back to Lucy, who was still a sniveling mess on the ground. Not to the extent that she had been earlier however.

"Lucy? Are you alright?" he asked the fallen girl who was still clinging to the pistol for dear life. She paused in her sobs and looked up to him with her tear-streaked face.

"You idiot! What the hell was all that!" A red-haired female burst from the crowd coming close to Natsu her voice just low enough so the rest of the crew wouldn't hear.

"E-Erza!" Natsu stuttered, startled by the woman's outburst.

"Who is she? Why did we suddenly get attacked in the middle of the night? Why wouldn't you tell us to set sail if we were in possible danger?" she growled at him.

"She's the newest member of our crew; Lucy. That…was her father and his guards that came after her…"

"So you kidnapped her?"

"No! She wanted to come along!"

"She didn't mention she had people that would come after her?"

"Well…I beat some of them up. I thought we'd be fine till morning."

"You're the Captain Natsu! You're not supposed to guess, you're supposed to protect your crew! Maybe bringing her aboard wasn't the best idea! Can she even fight?"

"Yeah! She's got crazy good aim with a gun actually." Natsu recovered, relieved to have found that out only minutes ago.

"…Natsu, you put your crew in danger. You can't just go bringing anyone you want aboard."

"Yeah I can, I'm the Captain."

"Then start acting like one! What, do you think she'll replace Lisanna?"

"…Erza." Gray muttered from behind the red-head, stepping forward and putting a hand on her shoulder for her to stop.

"No. He needs to hear this. Lisanna isn't replaceable. She died and there was nothing anyone could do about it so you need to get over it. She's dead. So don't you dare just try to replace her with the next girl you find!"

"She's not a replacement!" Natsu irrupted, eyes furious. "I know I can never replace Lisanna. I _know. _But that won't stop me from helping other people in need. I will always do that. If you don't like that then I don't know why you're on my ship! Gajeel you're on watch tonight. I'm going to bed." He muttered, raising his voice enough so Gajeel, who was one of the crew members standing nearby could hear.

With a huff he grabbed Lucy's wrist and pulled her to her feet. A little rougher then usual but she followed.

"That was rather harsh Erza." Gray muttered when Natsu was out of hearing distance.

"We don't know her at all Gray. She looks like Lisanna in a way, I was just making sure that he didn't bring her aboard to replace her. He doesn't need his heart broken again; I don't think that he could handle it." Erza stated, Gray didn't respond back but she knew he agreed with her. She knew the crew like the back of her hand.

Lucy stared at the floor as she was pulled to Natsu's room. What was all that about? Who was Lisanna? Why was Natsu so upset when her name was mentioned? She had a feeling that she wasn't liked very much by Natsu's crew…it was disappointing and made her feel bad. The only woman on the ship had sounded so mean when she talked about her, doubting her and calling her a replacement. Lucy didn't think it was very fair, to be doubted before anyone even knew her.

Natsu opened the door quickly and shut it behind him, flicking the lock shut once again. He let go of Lucy's hand quickly and rubbed his eyes. Lucy wiped the tear-stains that were still on her cheeks. After the yelling match had happened she didn't feel like crying, she felt like crawling into a little hole and dying. The one place she wanted to be accepted was rejecting her before she even had a chance.

"Don't mind Erza…she's actually quite nice…sometimes. When she's not yelling at me or hitting me. It'll be better in the morning. Things have been a little hectic lately…I should've set sail earlier…" He muttered as he lazily took the gun out of her hand and tossed it onto the counter his sword following suit. Lucy started to feel drained; she was physically and emotionally exhausted. Finding out her mother had been killed was unexpected but truthfully it didn't really change much. She was upset at the fact that a person had taken her away, not just an accident. Not just a random person either, someone her mother had trusted. Now, the sadness was slowly dissipating and getting replaced with anger. She finally had someone to blame.

"What happened to my father?"

"Oh, he uh…went for a swim."

Lucy nodded in response, so he would probably still be alive. If she ever saw him again…she truthfully didn't know what she would do. Deciding to just end this day already Lucy limped over to bed and flopped onto it, scooting onto the far side. She felt stupid for being called a replacement, even if she had no idea who this Lisanna person was. Lucy didn't want to be the continuation of someone else, this was supposed to be the beginning for her.

Deciding it was useless to think about it with her tired brain she let sleep creep towards her. Lucy felt almost guilty for not crying more about her mother being murdered but she was a pirate now. Pirates were tough, she shouldn't feel sad about it, it would never bring her mother back, she should feel angry. At the man that had ordered someone to kill her. Crying never solved anything and Lucy was done crying. Tomorrow she would begin life as a pirate. It would be a better day. Anything would be better than today. Lucy's eyes drifted close as she lay on top of the blankets, yeah, tomorrow she would be a pirate.

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open, not because of the sunlight that has seeped through the window, no, because of this weird pressure on her chest. Eyes opening fully in alarm she saw the color blue.

Blue? Blue hair? Something little was sleeping on her? With her eyes finally focusing she sat up, a little cat falling from its slumber on her chest down onto her lap, waking as it fell. It stretched in her lap, it's limbs reaching out in odd angles before blinking and looking up at her with huge lazy eyes.

"K-kawaii…" Lucy felt herself mutter, reaching out and petting the little cat, it purred in response. Such an unusual color for a cat, not that Lucy had ever really had one. Lucy glanced around quickly, first noticing that the blanket was on top of her now, she was sure she had fallen asleep on top of it. Disregarding the thought she picked up the cat she looked right into its face.

"You'll be my friend right?" She asked, still depressed over everything that had happened last night. "I don't have much friends, but I'm sure you would be one right?"

"Aye sir."

Lucy dropped the cat. Did it just speak? She rubbed her eyes roughly, maybe she was still dreaming. After pinching herself she determined she was in fact awake. Trying to not look at the cat anymore Lucy looked around for Natsu again, he wasn't in the bed again. She found him easy enough, sitting in a chair across the room slumped over his desk. The one small circular window in the room leaked light down onto his sleeping face. Getting up from the bed she attempted to walk over to see him, her ankle still badly swollen made it rather difficult but she managed to make it over to him. He was still holding a quill in his hand, papers and maps under his face and arms. A small amount of drool was dripping from the corner of his mouth. He looked really peaceful sleeping. Giggling slightly she looked at his hair; in the sunlight it seemed even more pink than she had originally thought. How did it get so spikey anyway? Sighing slightly she looked at his maps, well, the ones she could see.

There were various maps from different regions and islands, some had large X's on them, others were circled. Did the X's mean treasure? What a piratey thing to do. X marks the spot. She leaned in closer, there were other symbols too, but she just couldn't see them under Natsu's arm…maybe if she just lightly pulled…

"Aye sir!" The cat shouted loudly from across the room. Lucy jolted upright from the loud noise, Natsu's head shooting up as well in alarm. His eyes found her and he stared at her for a few moments.

"Who are you again?"

"I'M LUCY YOU IDIOT!" She screeched at him smacking a fist down on the top of his head. Startled at her own actions she retracted her hand and was about to apologize when he beat her to speaking.

"Oh. God, could've fooled me, you punch like Erza." He grumbled, rubbing a steaming lump that had formed on his head.

"Ah Happy! There you are!" Natsu laughed, looking over at the little blue cat. Lucy still refused to look at it, it creeped her out…it was almost like it had talked a few times. Lucy had been through a lot lately, she was probably just hallucinating.

"What kind of name is Happy for a cat?" Lucy muttered to herself.

"Hey, do you believe in magic Lucy?" He asked, his eyes full of excitement.

"What, you mean like pulling a rabbit out of a hat? Or sawing someone in half?"

"No, I mean, like wizards and mages."

"Of course not, those are just children's stories." Lucy scoffed, what was he trying to say?

"Well, you should. Cause that there is a magical cat."

"No…it's not a magical cat, it's just blue for some reason. You probably painted it blue…that and you are probably just really good at ventriloquism too."

"No, that cat talks, actually the real trick is getting him to shut up. He flies too."

"Natsu, how gullible do you think I am? I mean come on, I may have been cooped up in my house the whole time but I know there is no such thing as cats that can…fly…and…talk?" Lucy ate her words as the cat sprouted wings and flew onto its master's lap. Stuttering she backed away from the cat.

"I told you. He flies and he talks." Natsu repeated, obviously amused by her reaction.

"Aye sir."

Now there was no mistaking it. The cat had certainly talked that time. Why was she freaking out? It was just a blue cat with wings that somehow had the capability of speech. It wasn't _that _unusual.

Trying to persuade herself was a little harder than she thought. Natsu was just sitting there with a smile on his face as he watched her struggle internally.

"Don't tell anyone but a lot of my crew members are also wizards." He stated with a smile.

"What?" Lucy managed to cough out, still having trouble accepting the cat.

"Yeah, come on I'll introduce you!" Natsu decided suddenly, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the door, the little cat in tow.

Reefing the door open he pulled her out into the sunlight. Shading her eyes Lucy got a good look at the crew for the first time. About fifty or so people were on deck, some managing the sails or other tasks, some just lounging around or working out.

"EVERYONE!" Natsu shouted, grabbing the attention of everyone on deck. Lucy felt her face grow hot when all eyes were on the two of them.

"This is Lucy! She's our new crew member!" He announced with a wide grin.

"Hi Lucy!"

"Oh, she's a pretty one."

"Hi!"

"Hey, isn't she the whore from last night?"

"We have a whore in our crew? Cool."

"She's not a whore!" Natsu shouted over the murmurs of the crew not offended that they had called her that in the least bit. Lucy on the other hand wanted to run and hide, it was embarrassing.

"Lucy?" Natsu turned towards her making sure she was paying attention. "This, is the crew!" He waved his arm out to the mass amount of people in front of them.

The crowd roared in welcome towards her and for the first time Lucy began to think that maybe she would be able to live here. They seemed friendly enough, other than the whore comments but Lucy was sure they'd get past that.

"Erza, you're a girl right? Show Lucy the ropes!" Natsu called out to the only other woman on board, giving Lucy a push in the right direction. She stumbled forwards, catching herself she looked up and right into the eyes of the redhead called Erza. To say that she was intimidating was an understatement. She looked like some kind of a war goddess, long flowing blood red hair and armor that Lucy was sure weighed a lot more than she herself could ever lift.

"Welcome aboard." Erza said, hand reaching down for a hand shake. Lucy took it willingly, happy that the older woman didn't seem to not like her like Lucy had originally thought. After Lucy's hand was crumpled by the unreasonably strong handshake Erza signaled her to follow.

"We will be rebuilding the woman's quarters now I assume, so I will be your new roommate. Down that hatch to the right is the men's quarters and to the left is the kitchen. We don't really have a cook right now, so everyone just cooks for themselves. Whenever you're hungry go get yourself something to eat, I trust that you are not a heavy eater. Just make sure not to leave anything out to waste, we are usually rather short on money so we try to save as much food as we can." Erza explained as Lucy followed her across the deck.

"That over there is Natsu's quarters; obviously you're aware of that since you spent the night in there. It being the captain's quarters you probably shouldn't snoop around in there or even be in there from now on unless you are ordered to. Your rather weak and fragile looking so I'm not going to teach you much of the actual ropes and about the sails, we have a lot of other crew members so they can take care of that." Erza finished, ignoring the somewhat offended look on Lucy's face.

"So, are you a wizard?" Lucy asked, deciding to change the topic.

"A wizard?" Erza echoed, looking at Lucy with slight alarm in her face. At first Lucy had thought that Natsu had actually lied to her about the wizard and mage thing until Erza sighed and glanced around.

"Come. We should sit down; I need to explain something to you." Erza stated, walking over to two vacant seats. Sitting down beside each other Erza began to explain.

"Let me start at the very beginning. You see, a very long time ago wizards and mages were everywhere, they conjugated in buildings called Guilds where they would live and do work for others who would hire them. Everyone lived in harmony back then; those with magic would protect those without. That was until Osamu came into power. He changed the laws drastically, being a non-magical person himself he sought to bring equality to the world. By destroying all the Guilds and making laws to prohibit magic. Since he came into power his ancestors have continued to rule with his laws. Magic is forbidden. If anyone is caught using magic a bounty will be put out on their heads and once they are caught the government will arrest them and said person will be imprisoned for the rest of their life. Some are even sold and used as slaves, depending on their magic. Certain ancient magic is even punishable by death on sight. There are a lot of us on this ship that do use magic so you must be careful with your words. We try our very best to not let others find out or it will be us that will be punished. It is best that you do not ever speak of magic outside of this ship." Erza stared into the other woman's eyes fiercely to make sure she got the point across.

"Are you a wizard?" Lucy asked again after a moment of nodding, curiosity getting the best of her.

"Yes. I possess the ability of re-equip magic."

Lucy stared blankly at Erza, really she had no clue what that meant whatsoever.

"It means that I can change my armor or outfit into whatever other armor I own." Erza explained seeing the confusion evident on the others face.

"Wow! Really? Lucy almost shouted in excitement. "Can you show me?"

"Maybe later." Erza smiled kindly at her.

"Who else had magic powers? Wait no, what is the ancient magic?" She asked unable to ask just a single question.

"Before even Guilds were made dragons existed. They were thought to be extinct hundreds of years ago but it has been rumored that some may have survived to pass on their own magic to humans. Those mages with that knowledge, that power, are called dragon slayers and are said to be the most powerful of all the other wizards. The government fears these people above all others, pouring millions of tax money into research to destroy the dragon slayers. The Great War which took place about two hundred years ago was an intense battle between dragon slayers and the government. The dragon slayers were wiped out by the government's new weapons, which are called Akirein. The government still has many of these weapons but they are very expensive to use and maintain. They are only used against wizards that have been 100% confirmed to be dragon slayers. The Akirein were a vast array of different weapons, from swords to even cannons. There is only one thing that can truly destroy a dragon, another dragon, dragon slayers possess the ability to kill dragons as well. In a way dragon slayers are said to be dragons in human form, it would be only natural that the only thing that can destroy them is dragons as well. Akirein weapons are made out of dragon scales, it is like poison to dragons and dragon slayers alike. The government has a right to fear the dragon slayers, legend says that only dragon slayers have the power to reawaken the lost dragons. Only few believe that there are some that still exist, history says that dragon slayers can communicate with them. With possible control over the dragons, a dragon slayer could potentially rule the world and take over the government."

"Wow. Do you know any dragon slayers? Are there any on the ship?"

"Enough questions for now, you'll find out eventually anyway." Erza stated, waving the blonde off. "I have some rules for you. Since you are not used to fighting if a battle takes place on the ship you have to stay inside, okay? On no circumstances may you come out until the fight is over. Understand?"

Lucy nodded, she understood that part loud and clear. Last time she had almost died after all.

"This is only temporary, after you are trained you should be able to hold your own. As I understand it I hear that you are talented with a gun, we will train you to become even better and of course, get you your own gun." The redhead continued. "On another note we frequently stop on various islands to collect goods and do any possible jobs to earn money. We are not the dirty pirates you hear about in the news, most of our money is earned fairly. However when other pirates attack us we take their money as well. So when we stop on islands we may have you go out and search for jobs, we only stop for short periods of time and you may not tell people that you are a pirate or mention anything regarding magic. If you must, say that you are a traveling merchant. We only do this kind of work when we are low on money though. Most stops are only a few days and you can enjoy whatever the island has to offer. Some don't even have any inhabitants on it, so we call them vacation islands for obvious reasons." Erza paused, making sure that Lucy was still following along. Seeing Lucy paying close attention she continued.

"I'll tell you a little about the crew now. I am the only female on board other than yourself. Natsu is clearly the captain, I am the first mate and navigator and Gray, the man over there with the black hair and no shirt is the second mate. He has a stripping problem and fights with Natsu on every occasion possible. In case Natsu is unable to conduct the crew I will be in charge, if I am also unable to do so then Gray is. Laxus, over there in the white shirt, is the engineer, he's in charge of anything electrical on the whole ship. We are on of the few ships with working electricity. He has assistants, named Freed and Bickslow. I would be wary of them, Laxus usually keeps to himself and isn't known to be very polite. Elfman, that one over there, if you ever need muscle he's the one to go to. That's Gajeel, he looks tough and mean but he can be very nice. Those three are Jet, Alzack, and Warren. Everyone I just listed has some form of magic and they are all very careful to not reveal it to anyone off of the ship. If someone blabs about someone on the ship having magic capabilities they will be killed. We take it very seriously here so make sure to keep quiet about it, I cannot stress the importance of this enough. That's all for now, walk around and introduce yourself, get to know the crew a bit, they are very friendly." With that Erza nodded curtly and turned, heading the opposite direction.

Lucy's head swam with information, it was a lot to take in at one time but she couldn't help but feel excited about the whole thing. She was free and the world she had been thrown into was full of new things to see and learn. Not to mention magic! Lucy wanted to know more about it, to actually see it. She wanted to see a real dragon slayer and see their magic. This world was so bright and different from what she had expected. It was more than what she had wished for. It was an adventure and she was just beginning.

* * *

**And there you go, another installment of The Pirate and the Princess. I hope you enjoyed it!**

**I am SO HAPPY at all the reviews I got! My goodness! Wholey jesus already 100 reviews and only 3 chapters! you guys I love you so darn much!  
**

**Let me know what you think! Do you like the fact that there is magic? I think this story will be really fun, I keep coming up with things in my head I could do that makes me giggle uncontrollably in public! Don't forget to review I love you all!  
**

**To my Reviewers:  
**

**RedRose43:** Haha, yeah, sorry this one wasn't very fast to update :/ hahah Lucy shot him! Oh she's good, hah thankyou for reviewing!

**Badger Face: **Hahah I know, I'm so awful with my cliffies :P Teehee not telling you yet! Haha Lots of hugs back! Thankyou for reviewing!

**xAnimeLuv: **Hahah, smash the gun on his head eh? another posibility but she just shot him mwuahaha! Haha thankyou for reviewing ^^

**FictionXLover: **Haha, aw thanks, I'm glad its not so cliche ^^ I'm sorry for taking so long to update :( but I hope you are still reading and liking it ^^

**maximillianaire: **Haha, yeah I guess I kinda did, hahah I have no idea what that is but ok, and I'm glad you like it ^^ hah Erza is strong enough so she's one of the guys lol, he's gentle for now, but I'm sure he'll be rough later on ;) ...that may have sounded dirty when it wasn't supposed to hahah, no no review is too lond XD I enjoy reading them! nah your English is good ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**Xx-Yoko-Littner-xX: **Hahah, yeah sometimes he can be XD aww shucks you flatter me! thankyou I'm really happy you liked it so much ^^ nah no such thing as too long of a review! hahah aw thankyou so much! ^^

**aurevoir: **Hahah NO WAY! One Piece is sooooo good I have no comparison! hahah yeah, he is a bit OOC...but this is a AU so I can't help it ^^' Teehe, Sting eh? I'll see what I can do ;) Hahah aw thankyou so much! I love you too? Sure, I love you too reviewer! haha thankyou for reviewing!

**Skyelara: **I think I understood, let me know if you see them again ^^' haha, yeah if I did make her wrap him up I'd make her make him rip up his shirt, cause she wouldn't want her nice dress ruined right? haha yeah I get that too, I'll be working on it for sure ^^ thankyou very much! Yeah they won't be moving fast no worries ^^ Haha hope you enjoyed this chappy too ^^ thankyou very much for reviewing!

**Crazed Blonde: **Thankyou! I'm glad you think so ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**Princess Happy: **Hahah it's all good, Natsu's not dead yet XD haha thankyou! I'm glad you like it! Thankyou for reviewing!

**dartya: **Yep, you guessed it right. You get a coookkiiieee *hands you a cookie* nope...not yet mwuahaha, Hahah I know the hair joke, we are all pervs to some extent XD thankyou for reviewing!

**Senbei x Cup Ramen: **Oh 4 am is the worst possible time, seriously for everything it really is. yay! Thankya! Haha sorry you had to wait like apatient cookie for so long! Hope you liked this chapter! Thankyou for reviewing! ^^

**mynameissara: **Ah! Thankyou I'm glad you think so ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**inukagome9193: **haha thanks i hope you liked this chapter too! ^^ Thankyou for reviewing!

**Lisa-chan: **Hahah oh for sho! Nah he prob still alive sadly enough :/ DO I STILL GET A COOKIE? Hah not sure about weapons person but she for sure can shot well ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**XoxoFairyTaiXoxo: **I know, cliffies suck :( sorreh, it to me a while to update! but thankyou for reviewing!

**Crystilia: **Haha yeah there was a lot of different ways I could've taken it ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**Minallys: **I was thinking about going that way but it would just make things a lot more complicated. No worries though there will be lots of battles and things will happen ;) Thankyou for reviewing! ^^ No your english is very good ^^

**nalu: **OH NO! Hope your not dead, I know I took a long time updating but I finally have! yay!

**Kyia12: **Hope you enjoyed this chapter ^^ Thankyou for reviewing!

**LivingGlow:** Oh but he didn't! Mwuahaha ah thankyou I'm glad you enjoy it ^^ Oh he'll show his stupidity once in a while, he is slightly older in this though so he's a bit smarter ;) I tried to put more in Natsu's point of view for you ^^ hope you liked it! I did go back and forth as well, the beginning would just have to be in Lucy's point of view and I'll continue to change it up ^^ Hope you liked this chapter as well!

**NatsuXLucyForever: **Hahah yessir! I'm sorry it took so long to update a lot has happened!AHAH! That's totally where I first heard that joke too! Hahah Hatsuharu is totally one of my favourite characters ever hahah.

**bluebabe22: **I'm sorry...I totally left you hanging for a while, a lot happened and I couldn't update it at all. Ah thatnkyou I'm glad you think so ^^Thankyou for reviewing!

**0HorrorMasterOfTheUniverse0: **Mwuahaha yes. yes I am ^^ hope you liked this chapter! Thankyou for reviewing!

**Panchan: **Awww shucks! Thankyou! I;m glad you think so! I hope I continue to make it so you enjoy it ^^ Thankyou for reviewing!

**englishmuffinsbakura: **AH! Thankyou!I'm glad you like them both ^^ Thankyou for reviewing!

**LOL: **THANKYOU!Hahah I'm glad you think so ^^ Thankyou for reviewing!

**Nansyyy: **Aw, Thankyou that makes me happy, hope it continues to be amazing for you ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**ollussa: **Aww thankyou! Haha, yeah I understand that, I read a lot of fanficitons too and I do find her somewhat annoying in some :P I'm glad I'm writing her well thankyou ^^ Natsu is also my favourite character he's just...perfect in all his stupidity haha. Haha aw thankyou so much! And thankyou for reviewing!

**update: **I'm sorry I didn't update, a lot happened ^^' but thankyou for reviewing!

**JackRONsparrow: **Hahah thankyou I'm glad you think so. Oh god...I can draw but I draw best when I'm actually copying a picture lol, I also don't have a scanner or a camera at the moment...but...maybe I'll try and see what I can do ^^' it'll take a while though ahah don't wait for it is all I can say lol...anyway thankyou for reviewing!

**lola: **haha aw, thankyou so much I'm flattered, aww thankyou! and thankyou for reviewing! ^^

**NewMusic098: **Her father was shot! Dun dunduuuuun. Yessir Natsu is okay now hahah ha I did as I was told and updated both! Sorry it took so long ^^' thankyou for reviewing though!

**Sky's Fox: **Aw thankyou! I know, I'm so bac with cliffies hahah Thankyou and thankyou for reviewing!

**Janiie Pie: **Aw yay! I'm glad yopu are! Thankyou for reviewing!

**naluuuu: **Haha sorry it took so long to update ^^' but thankyou for reviewing!

**EminaRukiax: ** OH RELLEH! I shall work to convert you all! mwuahaha! nah jk jk, your awesome I'm glad I'm writing what you wanted hahah lol I'm all fired up too cause I wrote this chappyy finally! Whooot Thankyou for reviewing!

**Wasabi-kun: **Haha it must have drove you crazy for a long time then...my apologies! Haha I'm glad you like it so much that makes me happy! Also...I completely agree hahah thankyou for reviewing!

**Rieyama Yuuko: **Haha I'm sorry but here I updated now! :P Thankyou for reviewing!

**NoemiNalu: **Haha thankyou I'm glad you think so! Thankyou for reiviewing!

**Lucy D: **Haha I'm sorry i took so long to update I usually don't! Thankyou! And thankyou for reviewing! ^^

**lol: **Haha I apologize! here's the update though! Hope you liked it! Thankyou for reviewing!

**xXFairy-girlXx: **Teehee I'm glad you liked it ^^ mwuaha I'm not telling yet, maybe next chappy! Haha thankyou for reviewing!

**TheRandomGirl: **I loooove One Piece! Yeah, I find that pirates and vampires tend to be very overplayed but COULD POTENTIALLY be some of the best stories, well at least the pirate ones haha, Lucy is hoping to be an awesome sharpshooter :P Oh good, that makes me feel a bit better, a lot of people say that they are really OOC but I'm like...its a different world...they should be a little at least :P thankyou for reviewing!

**AMU: **Hahah, oh yes she is! and danger! dUN UDUNDUNNNN oh yes he is so very muchly haha oh no not a puddle Lmao I know...my cliffies are die worthy sometimes haha hope you enjoyed this chapter as well ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**lol: **haha ah man sorry for taking s olong but here you go hope you enjoyed it ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**dexter-dash: **haha, now that I think about it maybe I will switch them up? should I? I have not played that haha sounds like fun though, it was supposed to be a one-shot...but I'm thinking of adding another chapter since I didn't list it as a one shot and it didn't end that great ^^' hahah ok I shall thanyou for reviewing! no such thing as too long of comments!

**eleronn: **Teehee hope you continue to enjoy it ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**yuri is awsome: **Hehee sorry it took so long hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**falala: **Hahah, yeah thought I'd start another long one for my fans so they wouldn't be sad I'm not writing anything else hehe aw thankyou I'm glad you think so ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**AmyJusta: **Of course! I will always finish my stories ^^ sometimes I just get caught up big time! Thankyou for reviewing!


	5. The Sun Will Always Set

**Just wanted everyone to know that along with you reviews and an awesome ass dream last night I was motivated to finish this chappy today. I mean seriously guys, thankyou for so many awesome reviews!**

**I had a dream I was Lucy and Natsu was saving me...wholey crap was I upset when I woke up half way through...best dream EVER. In fact I got a scene out of it that I shall write in this fic later ^^ teehee  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail and it slowly kills me inside.  
**

**Here you go readers! Enjoy!**

* * *

She stretched her arms down as far as she could, trying to reach the tips of the waves as the lapped against the boat. She had just spent the whole day chatting with the entire crew, they were very verbal and entertaining. Lucy could see herself being very happy on the boat. It was midday now, having already eaten Lucy felt very content at the moment. She stared out at the horizon, her hands getting soaked by a larger wave. The ocean went on forever, as far as she could see, no stretch of land whatsoever in the distance.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

Almost startled by the voice Lucy turned to see Gray leaning against the railing next to her. Smiling at him she nodded in agreement. It was beautiful, stunning even.

"Don't be fooled though, as beautiful as it may be it contains horrors you couldn't even imagine. People die on these waters every day, there's reasons for that. Soon as you let your guard down your dead."

Lucy's attention was fully on the black-haired man, he didn't look towards her his eyes trained on the sea. Lucy felt the urge to ask questions about what he had just said, it felt like there was more behind that sentence then he was letting on. What kind of horrors were in the water?

"We are still working on the woman's quarters, we wanted a little of your input. It's going to be only you living in it for who knows how long so you might as well help design it so it is built the way you want right?" Gray pushed off from the railing, giving a quick wave for her to follow him. She did so, following him around a small corner she saw the small building that they were constructing. It was only the frame of the outside for now but they were fast and efficient at their job and it was going up quickly. It was mostly on one side of the deck, between the captain's quarters and the hatch to get down into the kitchen and mens quarters. It was pretty big, considering it was only for one person right now but it would be appropriate when more women were aboard. She walked up to the wood and ran her fingers down it. This would be her new home. She let her hand slid off the rough wood and fall to her side, her eyes catching on the ground. Something was off about it. Kneeling down she too a closer look. The ground was black, almost like it had been burnt. The markings went around where the new wood had been laid down, she hadn't noticed until now.

"There had been a women's quarter's here before right?" Lucy spoke, Gray was still standing beside her, he gave a small nod.

"Was there some kind of a fire?" She asked, soon as it was out of her mouth she saw his face change but he quickly hid his emotions again. She waited for a response.

"Yeah, there was a fire. That's a story for another time, it's best not to ask about that for a while okay?" He was polite about it but in reality the whole thing irked Lucy to no end.

Everyone seemed to be keeping some kind of a secret, were they scared she couldn't handle it? She wasn't a child, she was a pirate. Chewing on the inside of her lip she didn't say anything back. Maybe this had to do with the Lisanna girl. That would explain why his face looked sad for a brief moment. Had she died in a fire? Had the women's quarter's burnt down with her inside? Then how come it was just restricted to the one building? Nothing else had been burnt. It just didn't make sense, none of it did. How come no one would talk about her? Who was Lisanna? Lucy walked aimlessly towards where she assumed the door would be, Gray folllowed quietly.

"Oi! Lucy!"

Without even turning she knew who it would be, the unusual pink-haired Captain. She heard a lot of ruckus and decided to turn to see him. He was carrying a vast array of swords, sheathed, thank god, some were sticking out at odd angles and swatting people as he ran past. However he didn't slow, he ran straight up to Lucy and dumped the swords in a heap in front of her.

"You ready?" He asked excitedly, staring at her intensely.

"Um, ready for what exactly?" She couldn't help but be slightly nervous, she was beginning to understand the ways of the Captain of this ship. His ways were sudden and downright scary at times.

"For sword training!"

Seemed like he was in a better mood than last night, in fact he had perked up a lot from the short time she had first met him. Maybe it was because he was back on his ship without guards and dogs chasing him...

"Right now? I was about to help them with my room..." She announced bringing the small building to his attention, like it had been completely unnoticed before.

"Oh, okay. Maybe later then." He smiled and turned away.

"Is that _my _sword? What the hell is my sword doing here? You can't just grab anyone's sword and offer it to someone else!" Gray shouted ripping his sword out of the pile, Natsu didn't even turn around to acknowledge the yells.

"Ah, I see so your just going to leave this massive pile of swords out here in the open?" Gray's eyes rolled viciously when he still didn't get a response out of the other man. "Natsu!"

Lucy stared as Natsu suddenly collapsed, no one made much of a move to help him either. He just flat out face planted on the deck and everyone carried on with what they were doing. Lucy eyed Gray nervously...had he used magic to do that to Natsu? Just what kind of magic was that?

"Idiot!" Gray shouted his hand slapping onto his face out of frustration.

"Gray? Is Natsu okay?" She couldn't help but be slightly worried even if no one else seemed to be whatsoever.

"It's his own bloody fault, he always forgets to take his medicine and does this. I mean seriously, almost everyday. It's gonna happen one day when we actually need him and we are gonna be in trouble...such a dumb-ass."

"Medicine?" Now Lucy was worried, wasn't not taking medicine a bad thing? Wouldn't that hurt his health?

"Yeah, he's probably the worst possible person to be a pirate, I mean his motion sickness is so severe that he can barely move and look at him! He looks ridiculous!"

Now that Lucy looked a bit harder and focused she saw that his cheeks were puffed out to dramatic proportions. He looked like he was about to barf...he did look rather ridiculous. Enough to earn a small chuckle from Lucy.

"Would you mind running into his room and grabbing his pills? They're in the top right drawer in his desk, its easy to find." Gray waved her off before she could even answer, assuming she would just do the simple task.

Erza had said she probably shouldn't snoop around in his room but it wasn't snooping...it was just doing a favor. Soon enough Lucy was standing in front of the messy desk, she decided not to rummage through the maps like she had wanted to earlier this morning she didn't risk being caught by Erza. Quickly she opened the drawer and found the pills but closing the drawer was another matter altogether. It wouldn't close all the way, like something was blocking it. Lucy had run into this kind of a problem before in her own house, usually it was just something in the drawer beneath it was in the way. Not even thinking twice she opened the bottom drawer and stuck her hand inside reaching for what ever was blocking the other drawer. Her hand felt something wooden and she pulled on it, it seemed to be whatever was blocking the drawer. With another tug it came loose and she pulled it out.

She regretted looking at it, it wasn't hers to look at but she had done it just on instinct. It was an older wooden picture frame. The glass had been shattered, not from her, from a time before, the picture inside was faded and old. She recognized one person in the photo, Natsu, the pink hair was unmistakable. There was another woman in the picture, beautiful short white hair, she had bright blue eyes and Lucy had never seen her before. They were holding each other close, big smiles on their faces, Lucy couldn't help but see that they were clearly happy...happy together. Really happy together. Possibly in love? No, the more she looked at the photo the more she saw it...they had been in love. There was no doubt about it.

Was this Lisanna? It had to be, it was the only person she didn't know, the only person that wasn't on the ship anymore...and she was a woman. It would explain why they had a woman's quarters once. Had the fire have some kind of role in this? Had Lisanna passed away in a fire? Lucy wished someone would just explain all of this to her.

"Lucy."

She jerked at her name, picture whipping behind her back. At first she thought that no one was actually there but her eyes fell down to the cat in the room.

"Happy." Lucy still didn't feel comfortable talking to a cat...in fact she just found out it says more than 'Aye Sir'.

"What are you doing in here?"

Okay now it was creepy it was enough that the cat could talk, parrots can talk too...but to actually have coherent thoughts and understand legitimate conversation? Weird.

"Oh..um Natsu got sick so I just popped in to get some of his pills." She stuttered, the cat continued to stare up at her.

"Then why are you holding that picture?"

So the cat had seen. Giving up on trying to hid it she took it out from behind her back and place it back in it's proper drawer.

"I didn't mean to look...it was just an accident." Lucy mumbled, almost ashamed of what she had done.

"That's a picture of Natsu and Lisanna." The cat continued, seemingly not caring about Lucy's acts too much. "She died."

"I heard..." was all Lucy could respond with. "I...should be getting these pills back to Natsu." Lucy muttered when she saw the cat wasn't going to talk any further. Happy just nodded and stood his ground as the blonde walked by, he seemed to be in deep thought as well. Maybe Happy had known Lisanna well too, since he was Natsu's cat Lucy assumed they had all been close. Lucy would find out eventually about Lisanna, but asking flat out seemed unreasonable. No one was telling her so she wouldn't pry into it yet.

She sauntered out of the room seeing Natsu still on the ground she approached him, she knelt next to him. He was still conscious and no one seemed very worried about him so Lucy followed suit and tapped him on the head. His head slowly looked up at her and for a moment she was afraid he was going to throw up on her but his cheeks deflated for a short moment. Without a word she read the bottle quickly and poured out two pills into the palm of her hand and handed them to him. Obviously this had happened more than once because he took the small pills from her quickly and swallowed them instantly. His head dropped to the deck with a rather loud bang as he fell asleep.

"...strong pills..." Lucy said to herself.

"Yeah, he'll be out for about an hour, if he takes them when he's supposed to that doesn't happen...so that gives you some time to tell us how to build your room." Gray announced as he walked up beside her with a smile, instigating that they just leave Natsu on the ground for the time being.

It went faster than Lucy thought it would, she talked with Gray and the other crew members about where she wanted everything, they even agreed to make a woman's bathroom. That was really a necessity on a boat filled with men. She gave them quick instructions about where to put her bed, if she wanted window or not, yes she wanted just one, and whereabouts to put her bed. It was rather empty with just her bed and bedside table but eventually they would get more women on board...at least Lucy hoped so. Some female companions would be nice.

So now here she was, holding a sword tightly in her first sword-fighting lesson.

"You're going to mostly be using a gun but you need to be good at sword fighting too. Guns are for long range usually, it's hard to fight close up with them so it's best you train in both areas." Natsu stated walking a circle around her observing her closely. "Don't grip it so tightly, relax your hands just enough to hold onto the sword until you first strike."

Lucy nodded, it was making her nervous being watched so closely like this, did he even know what personal space was.

"Your opponents will usually give away their movements, if you watch them closely you should be able to predict how they will move. For example, some may be trained to not look where they will attack, that itself could be a hint, but sometimes they are so focused on not moving their eyes that they forget about their feet. Pay attention to which hand is dominant, if it's their right arm then their right foot can give away what direction they will go in." He explained as he got into position with his own sword and showed her an example, his right foot pointing at her right side. Moving slowly he extended his arm and Lucy brought her own up and pushed his away. Of course it would happen much faster in battle but this way at least she was learning.

"Some people have little habits you'll pick up on that show how they will attack. It's best we work on your defense first, you shouldn't be separated from the crew so they should all be able to help you out if the need arises. Attacking leaves you open. Don't do it until you are well trained to. Your going to have to build up your upper body strength a lot, sword fighting gets tougher as time continues. You'll be sparring with me every day. The first few days I'll go easy on you but after that don't expect me to. Men will attack you with all that they've got and they won't think twice about it. Don't think because you are a woman that they will have any kind of remorse. They don't. They will kill you and it won't effect them at all."

Lucy couldn't help but swallow hard, this was kind of scary. It didn't seem like fun like Natsu always made it look when he fought. this didn't seem that fun at all!

"Okay ready?" His eyes bore into hers as she looked at him, hell no she wasn't ready but really, when would she ever be? So she nodded.

He moved fast, his sword swinging down towards her forehead. Flinching she barely managed to get her own sword between the swinging steel. The impact was rougher than she thought and her grip slipped slightly and she felt the pressure decrease, Natsu was letting up a little.

"I find it helps to use your other hand to steady your blade, with stronger opponents it takes more out of you to block their attacks. Putting your other hand there helps relieve the stress on your arms. Oh, and closing your eyes is just generally a bad idea."

Lucy nodded, she was just a little terrified at the moment, she cracked her eyes open. Shakily she removed one of her hands from the hilt of her sword and placed it on the blunt edge of the blade. Natsu was right it was a lot easier on her arms. Lucy even went as far as to break a small smile and look up to Natsu, who was closer then she had originally thought. She had never realized how close people had to get to fight but here he was smiling back at her not noticing whatsoever that he was once again in her bubble. Lucy had actually never realized it but she actually had a bubble of some sort. A personal space that she liked to be empty and up until now it had been, desolate even. Then along came Natsu and her poor bubble had been not even considered the first time she met him...cause he thought she was a whore. How embarrassing! Even now she was still turning red at the thought of it!

"You okay? Are you feeling sick? You're all red and stuff." She heard Natsu's voice and it startled her out of her thoughts. Lucy stared at him, did he have any idea how close he was getting? He was leaning forwards under the two swords and staring right into her face intently. Of course Lucy flailed away a mess of swords swinging madly in the air as she jumped backwards. Luckily enough no one got sliced up.

"Ahah! No I feel fine! Just tired...yeah tired that's all!" The words spilled out of her mouth as she struggled to get a hold of herself, her ankle began to throb.

"Oh. You're tired already? We just started! You'll never get better if you quit now!"

"People can be emotionally tired too, and my ankle still hurts." She didn't want it to sound like whining, but it sure came out like that.

"You think you'll always be in perfect health when your in a fight? After hours of fighting everyone gets tired but we all keep fighting. Someday you may have to fight when your hurt, fight with broken bones even. You fight to survive, if you don't fight, you don't survive. It's your first day so I guess I'll let you go for now but we will be practicing tomorrow for much longer, even if your ankle hurts."

Lucy couldn't help her bottom lip from jutting out in a pout, he had been all nice about her ankle before. Not even letting her walk on it. Now he was all 'you gotta fight on it' it was all just confusing! She handed him the sword and tried her best not to limp away. At first she was going to head to her room but once she saw they weren't done building it yet she walked over to the railing again. It had been an unusual day, she was honestly exhausted. The sun was beginning to go down. It was beautiful, her first night at sea, she was lucky too she hadn't been even the slightest bit sea sick. Not even home sick yet. Lucy hoped it would stay that way, it was like she was meant to be on the sea. She startled when something moved in the water, her eyes strained to see what had moved. The was rippled and for a moment Lucy thought she had just begun to see things when a fish popped out of the water.

It was really the first sea creature Lucy had ever seen and in reality it probably shouldn't have been even called a fish. It's body was long skinny and white, it's head came above the water for a moment then disappeared again, it's body trailing behind it. Then another one followed, and another. It was a big school of whatever it was, popping up to get a look at the ship and Lucy. It's eyes were large and it's face was simple, gills on the side of it's head and a smaller slit for a mouth. They were very sleek looking and quite beautiful if Lucy did say so, small fins to propel them in the water. They started to play in the water, their long bodies coming out of the water before splashing back in. Some of the larger ones reaching heights up to the railing. Lucy couldn't resist, as one jumped up she reached her hand out. Lucy let her finger graze along it's smooth skin. It was somewhat slimy to the touch but Lucy didn't care at the moment, it was amazing to be able to bond with the sea creatures like this. This world was amazing in every way. The pirates made it sound like it is horrible and everything is dangerous but maybe it's because they have always seen it that way, Lucy was new to all of this and she didn't see it as dangerous or horrible, there was still beauty if you just relax and look. The fish calmed and disappeared under the water again, the water returning to it's quieter form, lapping against the ship. Lucy smiled as she looked back out at the sunset, the sun was half way under water now.  
She watched as it slowly sank, entranced by the colors of the sky.

"Thank-you...for earlier."

Lucy snapped out of her trance and turned, Natsu was standing a few steps away. For earlier? The pills?

"Oh, yeah it was nothing." She waved it off, turning back to the sunset.

"No really, lately I've been forgetting so much the crew has been just leaving me on the ground to try to teach me some kind of a lesson...so I appreciate it."

Lucy had to resist the urge to laugh at the picture that appeared in her head.

"Well if you would stop forgetting life would be easier for you I imagine. It's actually quite ironic that someone as prone to sea-sickness wants to be a pirate."

"Hm, well I thought I would just get used to it eventually..."

"Hows that going for you so far Captain?"

This earned her a rather unamused look from Natsu as he leaned on the railing, back to the sea.

"What? You're not going to watch the sunset?" Lucy asked non-nonchalantly. He glanced at Lucy out of the corner of his eye with a look that Lucy didn't quite understand.

"I've seen the sunset." He replied simply, looking away from her.

"You've seen the sunset? You haven't seen this sunset before, every time the sun sets it's different. That's the amazing thing about them, no matter where you go in life there is always a sunset and it's always different, yet always consistently there." Lucy turned to smile at Natsu but she realized he wasn't there anymore. Turning around she saw his back, walking back to his quarters. Her eyebrow raised in question, what did he have against sunsets? Shrugging his reaction off she watched the last few minutes of the sunset then made her way to her bedroom. The guys had finished most of the woman's quarters, all but the bathroom, the toilet was already installed though. It was rather nice for being built on short notice. She collapsed on her bed, snuggling into the pillow. It was a small bed, puny compared to her old one but she already liked it more. Before she could even think another thought she was asleep.

* * *

Lucy awoke covered in sweat, what was going on? It felt like the place was on fire! Sitting up didn't help much either, her head spun and she felt like she was about to throw up. She grabbed her stomach as it exploded with pain. Something was wrong. Struggling she climbed out of her bed and wobbled over to the door. The sudden lurch in her stomach warned her just enough for her to run to the toilet, making it just in time to empty the contents of her stomach.

For a few moments Lucy held onto the toilet, her stomach threatening to dry heave. Her hand ached horribly and her eyes drifted over to it. Instantly she regretted doing so, the palm of her hand was swollen with blisters and a bloody red color. In fact it wasn't just colored that way, it was actually bloody. Feeling the urge to throw up again from the very sight of it Lucy felt tears burn her eyes as well. This was scary, what was wrong with her?  
Her mind was so hazy it was hard to think straight, she scrambled to her feet, a little too fast and her head spun so much she had to grab the wall for support. Using the wall she slid along it to the door. Her body shook so much it was hard to stay on her feet but she managed to get outside into the night air. It was cold and stung her hot skin, she looked around for someone, anyone that could help her. She spotted someone leaning over the railing across the deck and Lucy began her trek across the wooden floor. From where she was she couldn't figure out who it was and she couldn't find her voice no matter how hard she tried to call out. Only once small squeak made it's way out and surely it was lost in the cold night breeze.

Yet the figure turned towards her, and Lucy felt relief in only the fact that they saw her. It was too much for her to continue on, it was too tiring and her vision faded away. She felt the wooden floor on her feet for a few more steps before she lost her footing. Oddly enough she didn't feel the wooden floor again but instead the soft impact of someone else's body.

"Oi! Lucy! What's wrong! H-ey! Lu-...Lu...cy!...Erza!...Da...it..."

* * *

**Oh goodness, what a horrible cliffy that one turned out to be. What has happened to Lucy? Give me your thoughts people! Details details!**

**Haha wow guys thank you so much for reviewing so much it means so much to me! I'm actually quite sick today so I had all day and I typed away on my laptop to make sure I got another chappy out for you awesome readers!**

**Let me know what you think ^^ thankyou for reading!  
**

**Thankyou so very much!**

**To My Reviewers!:**

**DarkAngelOfLove09: **Aw thankya! I'm glad your liking it ^^ sorry if it too me a while but I work a ton but here you arrreee hope you enjoyed it again!

**AMU: **OwO teehee! It wouldn't be as awesome without magic and guilds now would it ^^ Hahah Loke, we haven't seen much of him in the anime lately...wonder why...hmmm thankyou! ^^ hope you enjoyed this chappy as well!

**PhoenixedDragon: **Teehee! Thankyou! I was contemplating putting magic in, but honestly I could go so many more places with it so I thought HELL YEAA! Teehee, I'm planning on making this story split off into other mini stories during the looong plot I have devised ^^ you'll see where i put people ^^ thankya! hope you enjoyed this chappy too ^^\

**Princess Happy: **Oh you should still be worried ^^ natsu and Lucy and the whole crew should be worried...yepper...s...teehee thankyou! Hope you continue to love it ^^

**fairytaillove: **Thankyou ^^ hope you continue to enjoy and thankyou for reviewing!

**NatsuXLucyForever: **Hahah sorry I try my hardest to write whenever I can but sometimes I do get a little bit of writers block, or I find what I am writing somewhat boring compared to parts later that I can't wait to write...I dunno BUT I shall try my best to not leave you so long ^^ HELL YEAH NATSU IS! Teehee! Well, right now her clothes are the least of her problems, but soon ;) awwwwwwwwww Y U SO NICE! You made me flail out of happiness! AW! I wanted to be a writer a while back but I always thought I just wasn't that good ^^' aw shucks! You're one of my favourites now! High five! Thankyou so very much! I hope you continue to follow me through this story! ^^ Thankyou so much for reviewing!

**Yellow: **Aw thankyou very much! ^^ I'm always thinking of new things to add so its an adventure for me as well ^^ Thankyou very much hope you continue to like it^^

**lavender7795: **Aww why thankyou! Just for you I will make sure Sting makes an appearance in here somewhere ^^ thankyou very much for your review! ^^

**dexter-dash: **Oh don't worry I have plans mwuahahaha! Next chapter you shall be meeting someone neeewwwww! Hope that doesn't spoil anything but dun dun duuuunnnn...much of that didn't make any sense...BUT Thankyou for reviewing! ^^

**Badger Face: **Aww! I'm so happy you like it so much! I shall give it away, yes there will be other girls . I usually don't tell anything but I didn't see the harm in saying that heheh! Lots of Hugs back! Thankyou for reviewing!

**Footster26: **AW! Thankyou I'm glad your liking it ^^ Ohhh we shall see ^^ Thankyou for reviewing!

**NewMusic098:**

Me: Oh of course Lucy will, perhaps too good...mwuahahaha!

Lucy: What does that even mean!

Me: Oh...you'll see...mwuahahah!

Lucy: Stop with the evil cackling!

Me: Never! Mwuahaha!

Lmfao that was one of the most entertaining reviews ever! Hahah you started going into a story and I was all like teehee and enjoying it and forgot that it was even a review XD all that for I love it! just awesome! Thankyou for making me giggle and laugh and thankyou for reviewing!1 ^^

**dartya: **O_O What...what cookie...I haz a cookie *hands you a cookie* num num I KNOW RIGHT...I'm kinda like wtf why is this so popular but hey I'm not complaining haha, well it would be hard to hid some magic from some of the crew members so for now I would say that yeah they all know who uses what and who has magic. MEHBEEEH heheh thankyou for reviewing!

**Yume ga aru: **You shall see...mwuahahaha! Thankyou for reviewing!

**xXFairy-girlXx: **Were you? Well yeah it is kinda hard to have fairy tail and no magic, I would find it less fun that way ^^ thankyou very much I appreciate that! Thankyou for reviewing!

**XoxoFairyTailXoxo: **Aw thanks a ton ^^ Happy your enjoying it ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**EminaRukiax: **yay! glad you do ^^ MEHBEH mwuahaha yes yes you will XD I just exploded with happiness from your review XD thankyou so much! Gah! You made me flail! teehee thankyou so much for reviewing!

**Rose Tiger: **I-Sure-WILL!

**bunannza: **teehee! yay! Thankya! glad you like it! Thankyou for reviewing!

**Sara6: **Aw! Thankyou! Aww shucks! Thanks so much I''m so happy you think so! Hope I continue to please you ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**77777777777: **AW! Thankyou very much! I'm glad you think so! w thankyou for reviewing!

**Wasabi-kun: **Mwuahah yeah I've got some more flashbacks with Lisanna and more! mwuahahaha thankyou! and thankyou for reviewing! ^^

**TheRandomGirl: **Happy said more this time XD I plan on making him more important as well ^^ aw shucks! Thankyou very much I'm glad you think so ^^ haha thankyou for reviewing ^^

**Skyelara: **Haha yeah I understand that breath one for sure ^^' thats just a typo on my part hahah. Are you sure about that period/comma tip though? I've never seen it before, at least I've never noticed it ^^' I guess Imma have to look that up too but for now just forgive me until I do so XD but thankyou very much for the tips! I appreciate it a lot ^^ I always like to hear stuff like that to help me improve too ^^ Thankyou very much ^^ I;m glad to hear that you are enjoying the story! I've got a lot of stuff planned to this shall be fun! Yes you did ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**yuri is awsome: **Teehee glad you think so ^^ I shall try not to dissappoint you ^^.

**bluebabe22: **Thankyou ^^ hope you continue to like it thankyou for reviewing!

**xAnimeLuv: **Haha wow, that would've been quite different hahah. I know! I'm just awful eh? Did you know that Hiro wasn't going to bring Lisanna back but one of the producers said that he liked the character and that he should so he did, that;s why she has no big role or really any role whatsoever...cause she wasn't even orignally going to be brought back. It really dissappoints me too, I think it was better when she was gone, it was part of Natsu's developement and they too that away then did nothing with it! RAWRRR...sorry that was a bit of a rant but had to get that one out hahah. You'll see where I go with it ^^ don't worry I share your views as well ^^ thankyou for reviewing ^^

**CelticBlackRose: **Thankyou! I'm glad you think so and thankyou for reviewign!

**dsi user: **THANKYOU VERY MUCH :P

**Shana Hearfilia: **Thankyou! I'm glad you told me cause I was worried about that ^^' glad someone really likes it! Thankyou for reviewign!

**Panchan: **Teehee! I shall try not to dissappoint! Thankyou for reviewing!

**ArsenalGooner4Life: **Aw, Thankyou! Hope you continue to enjoy it ^^ thankyou for reviewing!


	6. One Hell Of A Night

**SOOORRRYYY for such a long wait for the update but I am doneee now and hope you all enjoy this chappy as well ^^ thankyou all for reviewing I'm amazed at the feedback and so happy! Thankyou all so much!**

**Enjoy!  
**

**Also I don't own Fairy Tail because Santa hates me.  
**

**ENJOOOYY!  
**

* * *

The first thing she noticed was the lingering pain in her stomach, she could feel everything around her, almost to a point where it hurt. The soft blanket on top of her clung to her skin and she wanted it off. It was too hot...she couldn't think straight. What was the last thing she remembered? She remembered the sunset and talking to Natsu about it and going to bed. It was foggy but she remembered getting up too, running to the toilet and collapsing into someones arms on the deck. So what the heck was wrong with her? To her demise she attempted to learn by opening her eyes, the light almost killed her. Squinting she let her eyes slowly adjust to the light.

"You awake?"

It was muffled but she still heard someone's voice beside her, a blurry person leaning over her. Her stomach ached so bad she just wanted to sleep through it.

"You're a real idiot you know."

That was definitely Natsu's voice now that she thought about it.

"I've never known someone to get into so much trouble this fast, other than me."

Now his voice seemed loud and hurt her eardrums, she reached out with her hand to push him away but it shot a stream of pain up her arm. That was right, her hand was one horrid sight right now.

"Helloooo? Geez, how long does it take you to wake up?"

"Shu-up..." She managed to grate out of her throat.

"Shuup? What's shuup mean?"

Now she just wanted to punch him in the face, why wouldn't he just leave her alone? Clearly she was sick as a dog, sick people needed to rest right?  
She tried to get the words 'Leave me alone' out but to no avail, just a weird little squeaky sound again. Her throat was so dry.

"Here drink this..."

Suddenly she felt an arm wrap around her back and bring her into a sitting position, once again her head spun but she let the arm hold her up. She felt a cool cloth fall from her forehead in the process, she hadn't even noticed it was there before. A glass cup was brought to her lips and tilted so she could drink. It was full of water, but for some reason it was the best water Lucy had ever drank in her life. She was so parched it didn't even feel like she had had enough when the glass was emptied.  
Though she did feel a hell of a lot better already, her brain started to comprehend things a little better. Natsu laid her back down and with her own power she sat up and leaned against the wall. Her eyes had almost finished adjusting, she only had to squint a little now. She saw that they were in her room, which made her a little nervous. This was the woman's quarters...Natsu had his own quarters for god's sake he wasn't allowed in here! Yet here he was sitting in a chair beside her bed. Her hand had been wrapped sometime during her sleep, it was still clearly swollen and frankly she was glad she couldn't see it right now.

"What...why?" Was all the intelligent words she could muster, her head was just so damn foggy still.

"Did you see something that looked like this?" Natsu muttered, holding up a piece of paper with a drawing on it.

At first Lucy was confused at the question, but that confusion was nothing to what the picture brought on. It was a scribble over top of a line, a few circles...all covered in the color blue. Lucy stared at the picture for a few moments, then at Natsu to see if he was being serious. He watched her curiously, as if he would see it dawn on her.

"What the hell is that?" Lucy finally asked, there was no way anyone would be able to decipher that picture!

"What do you mean? You can't see it? See there is it's eye, and it's mouth, the tail and fins and the water! Water is blue, you should know that." He pointed to various parts of the scribble as he talked.

"I've never seen anything like that drawing, honestly nothing exists that looks like that...except that drawing itself." Lucy muttered, rubbing her eyes with her good hand.

"You didn't see a white thing in the water? Like an eel? Like a long fish?" still watching her curiously.

"Yeah, I saw _that. _What are you saying that is what you drew? Natsu...that looks nothing like what I saw...I mean...not even close...why is this relevant anyway? Why am I like this?"

"That thing you saw, you touched it right?"

"Yeah? It jumped out of the water right where I could reach out and touch it..."

"Seriously? So some unknown fish jumps out of the water and you just touch it? Do you have any idea what they are?"

"Obviously not Natsu..." Honestly, did he have to ask that question? She wasn't in the mood to be scolded, she felt like throwing up again...

"Their called Kiseichuu, they're not even fish they're giant parasites. Their skin is covering in a thin layer of their own saliva, under that they have their unhatched offspring. They can only hatch inside another animal or fish, when one rubs up against another animal it transfers its eggs. The eggs are small enough to go through your skin and into your blood stream, then they grow until they are large enough to hatch. And you reached out and willingly touched one..." Natsu seemed tired as he explained this but it went unnoticed by Lucy, who almost threw up right then and there.

"What?" This seriously couldn't be happening, this was disgusting! Not to mention embarrassing! No one told her though! No one had told her anything about these things! This just wasn't fair.

"When they hatch...well putting it simply let's just say you die. It takes about a week for the eggs to grow to the proper size at most. There is a cure, which we will be looking for when we reach the next island. Usually the doctors have it, but it gets real expensive so we'll see what happens..."

Lucy stared at him, if it got too expensive would they just leave her to die?

"I'm kidding! We will make sure it works out! Don't worry so much!" He laughed, Lucy however was less amused.

"Why are you in here? This is my room, I'm not allowed in yours so why should you be allowed in mine." She was grumpy and in pain, that and it seemed like a reasonable question to her right now.

"Well, first I'm Captain so I can go wherever I feel like. Second you came out on the deck last night and you collapsed, I caught you on instinct." He explained, unaffected by her angry tone.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lucy snapped.

"The parasite is contagious through skin contact."

Those seven words made her heart sink...here she was being grumpy with him when he had kindly caught her and she got him infected? Out of her own stupidity she infected the Captain? What kind of a crew member was she?

"Since it's contagious we are in quarantine until we reach the island tomorrow. Even if we touch something after it sets in, or by the time you get sick, whatever you touch could infect people as well. Since you got sick in here and didn't make it far outside it'll be okay as long as we stay in here." He said it so nonchalantly, with not an ounce of remorse or anger towards her. She gave him a life-threatening disease, that takes a lot of money to cure even! Forgetting the fact that she had been pissy with him and insulted his artistic skills...

"I'm sorry." It was heartfelt and she tried to get her point across as she made strong eye contact. His face looked rather amused.

"For what?

"For making you sick!"

"Why are you apologizing for that? You didn't mean to, you didn't know any better. Now if you did it again I'd be mad...but not if you didn't know."

"Are you feeling okay?" Lucy asked, he looked tired but he didn't look like she had felt before.

"Yeah, I feel fine. You're looking better from last night."

Lucy nodded, she was feeling a little better. She wondered how long that would last.

"What were you doing outside last night?" She asked curiously, she was thankful he had been there but...it had been the middle of the night.

"Oh, I was just out for some air..." He stated, his voice final, no room for more questions on the topic.

"How come you're not sick like me?"

"Well it takes a while for it so set in, think about how long it took for you to get sick. I called Erza out last night, it was lucky she hadn't moved in yet or she'd be sick too. We don't have the money to cure more than two people, depending on the doctor really. Greed is too common now a days. I wasn't even sure what was wrong with you at first but Erza explained it to me quickly...so now we are stuck here, Erza can instruct the crew no problem. They've been ordered to stay away from here and if it's Erza doing the ordering, no one is coming close to this place. They'll stop by with food once in a while but I don't think we are going to be that hungry...this thing gets worse with time, enjoy the little breaks in between, they won't last long."

Lucy took a deep breath, this whole thing was hard to take in at one time. She hated being sick, not that she had been all that often but still...she hated it nonetheless. Being this sick was somewhat scary too, and the only one who could take care of her at the moment was going to go downhill too...because of her.

"You should try to get some sleep." Natsu muttered with an encouraging smile.

How the hell could he be so nice? He would flip flop, one moment caring and the other...making her sword fight on her swollen ankle. Either way she nodded and curled up in the bed, feeling the wet cloth being placed back on her forehead and falling asleep before her stomach could cause her to run for the bathroom.

* * *

For the second time Lucy woke up to the feeling that the room was on fire. Everything ached so painfully she refused to move, that was until she heard the retching in the bathroom.

"N...Natsu?" She barely muttered, it had gotten even brighter outside, she must've slept for at least four or five hours by now. At first there was no response, just a few coughs before he appeared in the doorway. He didn't look any better than herself now, leaning heavily on the doorway. His shirt had been lost somewhere along the way, with good reason. Even with foggy vision Lucy could see the large red mark on his chest, the extreme level of irritated skin and blisters just like Lucy's hand. Where she had touched him with her hand when he caught her. The point of entry of the disease.

"Hey..." He croaked as he pushed off the doorway, using the momentum to get across the room. "Honestly though...being a pirate is usually more fun than this." Natsu joked, earning a small smile from Lucy.

"What are you talking about...this is the most fun I've had in years..."

"That's pretty sad..."

"Shu-up..."

Natsu chuckled, sliding down the wall beside her bed. He slouched and now that he was closer Lucy felt even worse. The mark on his chest was a nasty red and looked really painful but Natsu didn't pay any sort of attention to it...he'd probably say that's part of being a pirate or something. He was obviously feeling the heat like she was too, sweating and panting. His normally spiky hair was flattened down now. How the hell would they make it through the night? She grabbed her stomach when another pang of pain hit her, unintentionally letting out a little noise.

"Oi, you okay?" Immediately Natsu was there, sitting up right beside her bed. After a few moments she nodded, biting her lip. It still hurt, really bad actually...but she was a pirate. She could handle this, no problem. Just like Natsu.

There was another dilemma she was starting to think about. Night. There was one bed in this room, was this situation playing out again like the first night? She couldn't just let him sleep on the floor right? The poor guy was sick because of her.

"Here, take the bed." She stated, getting up steadily.

"What? No, lie down Lucy. I'll sit on the floor it's fine."

"No, I made you sick." Lucy wavered on her feet, they threatened to give out on her. Natsu was up in front of her before she could even take another step. His hands were on her shoulders and with a light push she was sitting back on the bed again.

"So? Just go back to sleep already, I like it more when your quiet!"

Lucy's mouth dropped open.

"You rude inconsiderate jerk! I'm just trying to do something nice for you and you come back with an insult!" She stood abruptly, fueled by anger. "I mean really! All you have to do is accept my offers once in a while! I can't-" Lucy stopped as she felt her stomach practically turn over. She was going to puke again. She managed to push Natsu out of the way before running full tilt to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before she emptied her stomach again.

"Maybe being sick isn't that bad! Anything that stops you from yelling at me can't be all that bad." She heard Natsu's voice from the bedroom.

"Asshole." She growled, he was probably joking but right now she just wasn't in the mood.

"I heard that."

How the hell did he hear that?

"I'm a dragon." She barely whispered saying the first thing that came to her mind, testing if he wasn't just bluffing.

"I seriously doubt that."

Why could he hear her so well? It was so peculiar...well Erza had said a lot of the crew had magic right? That must apply to the Captain as well. What did he have some kind of super hearing magic? What a lame magic that would be. She snorted when she tried to hold in a laugh, she was about to ask him about his super lame super power when the room started to spin around her. The walls stretched and Lucy tried to keep a hold on herself but it dragged her in. She couldn't even get a hand out to catch herself before she felt her head hit the bathroom tile.

* * *

She could feel her heartbeat in her head. The steady throbbing that let her know she was awake again, and regret waking up altogether. These fainting spells were so sudden she couldn't even call out or catch herself. This was definitely the sickest she had ever been before. Lucy remembered having the flu once in a while with her mother around, when she could carry her around cooing words of comfort in her ears. Along the years after her mother past Lucy would just be kept in her room if she was sick, having to sit it out and wait alone, it was a lot different than when her mother was there. In a way, horrible as it may seem, she was glad to have someone to share it with again. Yeah, she felt guilty making Natsu sick but it was the first time in a long time when she actually had someone there with her when she was sick. Speaking of the devil, she couldn't see him anywhere. Checking the floor on either side of the bed she determined he wasn't in the room whatsoever. That only left one other place.

Getting up slowly she carefully walked to the bathroom, cautiously to ensure she wouldn't fall and knock her noggin again. It didn't take long to find Natsu when she appeared in the doorway. He was passed out draped over the toilet, his arms danging loosely to the floor. His head was propped up on one of his arms as he slept. Lucy leaned on the frame of the door for a few moments, she felt really guilty about the whole ordeal. If it hadn't been for her naivety he wouldn't be here right now, sleeping uncomfortably on the toilet. Sucking it up she shuffled her way to him and shook his shoulder lightly. When he didn't stir Lucy panicked, was he dead? Checking his pulse she let out a long breath she hadn't known she had been holding...he was alive, just completely out cold.

There was only one thing for her to do now...somehow move him to the bed. Deciding it was better to just do it and think about it later she squatted down and swung one of his arms around her neck. Half dragging him she strained herself to pull him along. He was a lot heavier than she had originally thought, it was getting a lot hotter too. Having him this close to her she could feel the heat radiating off his body and it just made her feel even more nauseous. Lucy gave him one more shake to see if he would waken but to no avail, the man was asleep and deep.

Gritting her teeth she dragged him along, he had carried her to the bed more than once, it was her turn. The room swirled around her and she lost her grip on him. With a rather loud thud he collided with the floor. Lucy paused for a moment, afraid he would wake up but alas, he stayed in his sleeping state. Her muscles ached but she squatted down again and grabbed his arm from the crumpled heap he was on the floor. She would have to forget to mention that little incident to him.

After a few minutes of pain she was staring down at the bed and it had never looked so inviting. Pulling with all her might she pulled Natsu onto the sheets one limb at a time. Then she collapsed onto the bed as well contemplating just sleeping right there but it was uncomfortably hot near Natsu so she slid off the bed onto the cool hard floor and smiled.

* * *

"...Na...tsu!...You...Natsu? Wake up!"

Lucy woke up abruptly when Natsu's voice rang out clear.

"WHAT!"

"Are you guys hungry?" It was Erza behind the door.

"Hell no! We'd just throw it up anyway! Don't waste the food!" Soon as he responded Lucy felt her stomach growl...she was so hungry but it really would be a waste in the end. Did he really have to yell? It was so loud to her ears.

"Your stomach growled, are you hungry?"

Damn that sensitive hearing of his. She lifted her head slightly off the floor to shake it except it wasn't the floor...she was back on the bed, Natsu on the ground beside it. Seriously. This game had to end.

"Would you stop that!" She hissed at the man now sitting up beside the bed.

"Eh? Stop what?"

"Stop putting me on the bed! I made you sick so you get the bed! This little game we are playing is so stupid!"

"Then stop playing and stay in the bed!"

"Ah! You're so frustrating!" Lucy threw her arms up. "We can't even take turns?"

"We have been."

"Because you won't stay in the bloody bed! Ah! Never mind." with that she rolled over and ignored him with all her might. If he wanted the floor so bad he could have it, forget the fact she worked hard to get him onto the bed! Stupid stubborn pirate. It became almost awkwardly quiet in the room, the only sound was the two breathing. That's when Lucy heard it, something was off about Natsu's breathing. Although she was still grumpy with him she turned over in the bed to get a look at him, his eyes were closed but she had a feeling that he wasn't asleep. He was sitting up, his back against the wall but even with the support he slouched. His breathing was more like quiet wheezing now.

"Natsu, are you alright?" His eyebrow raised with her question and he didn't bother to open his eyes.

"Yeah, feel fantastic."

Ignoring the sarcasm she poked further. "You're breathing sounds strange. Are you okay?" She asked again, she would get an answer out of him.

"..." He remained silent.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah, it's kinda hard to breathe right now but I'm fine."

"What do you mean 'hard to breathe'?"

"I mean it's hard to breathe, like when you try to take in air it's twice as hard...and it doesn't feel good. I don't know...how to explain that any more."

"Try lying down."

He gave her a look when she suggested that, they had just finished an argument about it after all.

"No, I'm serious. Sitting there slouched against the wall isn't helping your airway at all. Look, I've got to go to the bathroom anyway so it's your turn to use the bed."

Without waiting for a response she got up and walked over to the bathroom. Luckily enough for herself she was feeling a little better at the moment and got there no problem. It seemed they were alternating, she'd be really sick and he'd be okay the next minute she'd be alright and he's worse for wear. The ship rocked slightly, slow enough that Lucy was able to grab onto the unfinished sink for support. At first she thought it had past until everything turned almost vertical for a moment and Lucy struggled to keep upright. She heard yelling outside, Erza's voice shouting commands, a few words made it through, mostly about a storm. The ship righted itself and Lucy jolted as cold water ran over her feet.

That was right, they hadn't put the finishing touches on the woman's quarters yet it was probably not 100% water proof yet. The fact that the room was on the deck didn't help anything, water on the deck would run right into her room. Definetly something she'd have the guys fix later. Before she could regain her bearings the ship lurched again and she lost her footing, slipping on the wet floor and her muscles strained against her weight to hold herself up. This was the worst timing for a storm ever! The water was freezing cold and it couldn't be good for Natsu and her to be in this water right now.

Natsu.

Making sure there was a wall nearby to grab hold of in case she rushed back to her room. There was a lot more water in the bedroom than the bathroom, it was steadily beginning to reach her knees and already she couldn't feel her toes. The door was even swinging open and Lucy understood why there was water everywhere, it was pouring rain outside and huge waves were smashing onto the deck...the water was coming in and sloshing around in the women's quarters...Where was Natsu?  
He wasn't in the bed or standing up, that only left one place. Before she could begin to look for him she was startled as he suddenly appeared, lifting himself out of the water.

"Natsu!"

His gaze met hers for a moment and he gave her a small smile.

"Refreshingly cold hey?"

Honestly it was, against her hot skin it was too cold but still refreshing. Forgetting about her supporting wall she waded over to him, offering him a hand. He took it, and she helped him stand up. Lucy felt proud to be able to actually help such a 'tough guy' but it was short lived.

The ship lurched again, violently, causing the bed to be tossed across the room right towards the only two people in the room.

"Jump!" Lucy yelled, taking a firm grasp on Natsu's arm and attempting to jump over the sliding bed. They managed to jump over the bedding but fail at the landing, splashing down into the water. Lucy swallowed water as her swollen hand made harsh contact with the floor. She lost her grip on Natsu entirely. For a few moments she floated in the water in a daze, that is until she felt a hand wrap around her arm and pulled her up. She coughed and sputtered until she regained her breath again.

Natsu of course, seeing him close up Lucy felt bad for the guy. He had dark circles under his eyes, had he been sleeping much? Or at all even? His breathing hadn't improved either and the way his grip on her arm was slipping so easily was beginning to make Lucy worry. The boat tipped and they slipped back into the water, Lucy reaching out and grabbing a hold of Natsu as he pulled both of them up again.

Lucy's hand was a throbbing mess and she gritted her teeth to stop from groaning about it. She hadn't let go of her death grip on Natsu this time. Lucy hadn't mentioned it but she didn't know how to swim, no one had bothered to teach her and although the water wasn't very deep it was really cold and getting dunked over and over was beginning to frighten her. Now they were back on their feet and it seemed like the water was beginning to recede again. Lucy felt Natsu slump slightly and begin to lean on her more. Learning from previous experience she knew that any one of them could pass out in a matter of seconds and Natsu was a heavy guy.

So of course when he actually passed out she was entirely ready for it. Totally...not even close. She stumbled backwards with the weight and with a little lurch from the boat she slammed into the wall and slid down to come to a rest sitting in the cold water.

She sat there with an unconscious Natsu in her arms and water dripping off her face wondering exactly what to do. The water splashed up on the two but Lucy ignored it, as fast as it had come it had gone and the water was a lot lower than it had been five minutes ago. Lucy continued holding onto Natsu's head and waiting for the water to go down even more, the door was slammed shut and it startled her. Someone outside must've closed it...or the wind from the storm did. Both of them would catch a cold this way if they didn't dry off eventually.

The rocking of the boat had calmed along with Erza's shouts outside. Looks like they were finally in the clear of the storm or whatever the hell that was.

Now Lucy was tired, her bed had ended up on the opposite side of the room it had originally been on...the guys would have to bolt it to the ground. They had just been in a hurry to finish up as much as they could.

Who knew a bed could be so deadly in a ship?

Lucy brought her knees up out of the water, they were rather blue looking but nothing that couldn't be fixed with some blankets. Natsu was still warm though, well warmer that herself. He was a crumpled heap between her legs in her embrace but it was the best she could do for the time being. For now she wanted to just sit there and not strain her body in case she passed out as well.

So she would sit here for a while with her arms wrapped around a half naked man up to her belly button in cold sea water.

If only her mom could see her now what would she say.

Ever since she crawled out of her window at her palace things had been so hectic and hadn't slowed down since. Is this really how life would be? It was so crazy. She stared down at Natsu, looking at the red mark on his chest. She wasn't having breathing problems, what was the difference between him and her? They both had the same thing right? The only difference was the point of entry, hers being her hand and if her hand hurt that bad she could imagine Natsu's chest hurt that bad as well. Was that why his breathing was hitching every so often and sounded strained?

She watched his sleeping face, he was a rather handsome man...as she had obviously noticed before. Somewhat spurratic at times and she still didn't know much about the pirate that he was. Heck, she didn't know much about the guy. Only a bit about Lisanna, and Natsu didn't even know she knew that much.

Her eyelids drooped and she sat up in alarm. This wasn't good, she felt faint and she knew that she'd probably pass out soon. It was the water, maybe the bed wasn't that wet. It was hopeless but at the same time it was their only hope, so she began the trek across the room dragging the Captain with her.

It was even harder with the water, though it had gone down significantly. Soon enough she made it to the bed and collapsed onto it, Natsu still in her arms. Lucy attempted to move but her body wouldn't let her, instead she felt it slowly shutting down. The bed was sopping wet and she was still clinging to Natsu like her life depended on her, but her body no longer responded. Just forced a shut down and made her sleep.

* * *

With a small cough Natsu woke up but didn't move, he felt someone's arms around him and by simply looking down he saw it was Lucy. She was shivering in her sleep and slowly it registered that the two of them were still wet.

Well, he could fix that no problem. It was kind of his specialty. Heating his body up he felt his own clothes beginning to dry, careful not to spike the temperature too high, Lucy couldn't handle the same heat, he inched a little closer to make sure her clothes got dry as well. The bed would dry too. They didn't need to get sicker from cold.

He frowned a bit, had he passed out again? Lucy carried him again, she was actually a rather tough girl if she put her mind to it, when she wasn't complaining. He felt bad for her in some ways, he had brought her onto the ship to make her life better but...it hadn't really brightened up very much so far. He'd have to make sure she got better so she could see that being a pirate it much better than what she had previously seen. Yeah, it was rough but not sick puking your guts out sleeping on a soaking wet bed rough.

They should be arriving at the island soon, within the next few hours Natsu assumed, or maybe just hoped. He could only pray things go smoothly once they got there. They had been to this island before, Thyme Island. It was rather sketchy in some places but as long as they were escorted by some of the crew members they should be fine.

As long as they didn't touch anybody. Natsu hated doctors, well more so the smell of them. Antiseptic, disinfectant and various other chemicals that made his nose sting. The faster they got out of there the better off they would be. He wasn't looking forward to spending the little money they had saved up but it was a necessity.

Honestly the coming little trip they were about to embark on wouldn't be fun at all, not even in the slightest and Natsu was all about fun. He shifted uncomfortably, careful not to wake Lucy. It was best to try to sleep as much as they could. His body ached, especially his chest. It had steadily gotten harder and harder to breathe, his lungs seemed to barely respond at times.

"Captain?"

It was Gray's voice, Natsu made a noise as a sign that he had heard him.

"The Island is in sight. We will be there in a few hours but we should wait till morning to trek onto land."

It was enough to make Natsu grate his teeth, but in reality the doctors wouldn't be open on a small island like this in the middle of the night. They'd have to wait till morning.

"Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah, see you in the morning." He grumbled, loud enough so Gray could hear him. Pulling Lucy in closer to himself he made sure his temperature remained high. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

**What? No huge cliffy this time? Oh you lucky bastards you hahah thankyou for reading! Don't forget to review as well it motivates me to write faster! ^^**

**To My Reviewers:**

**Thankyou all so much!**

**Princess Happy**: Natsu caught her! Teehee XD and it got him into troubleeee! I hope all your questions got answered ^^ Thank-you for reviewing!

**Lectori Salutem: **Tehee thanks I'm glad you think so ! I know...I'm sorry it took so long but hope you liked this chappy too ^^ whoooot your good, guessing it off the bat like that high five to you indeed. Thankyou for reviewing!

**Badger Face: **Ohhh that would've been horrible! Teehee it was the fish! well..parasitic fish! Whoot! haha thankyou and thanks for reviewing!

**Melyora: **Teehee aw thankyou so much! OH yeah, my dream scene won't be coming up for a long while ^^ but I hope I have more of them XD thankyou for reviewing!

**Camanime: **Ohhhh you guessed right! Good job! Thankyou and thanks for reviewing!

**Wasabi-kun: **OH NOOOO dun be too insane, I think we all are to an extent XD OH WELL WE SHALL SEE HOW IT GOES AT THE DOCTOOORR. I thought of some crazy ass twists to put in later mwuahaha thankyou for reviewing!

**Lemonsnaps: **Heheh, not bad guess not bad at all! X3 I hope you continue to enjoy my story! Thankyou for reviewing!

**dexter-dash: **Hahah, I know I'm such a jerk, but he's not quite Natsu without his motion sickness XD hhhh you got it too! teehee well, I will be utting a few new characters in, they go with the plot line don't worry hahah, and I may or may not have 1 OC that is continuous, it all depends ^^. I KNOW, I need to finish up the epilogue but it;s just soooo depressing! Its the last chapter and it just makes me sad haha but I'll be finishing it up soon I believe. I am a wooomaaaannn hahah, I shall continue, hope you enjoyed this chappy too! ^^ Thankyou for reviewing!

**Sara6: **Another good guess but it's just cause her fever ^^ hahah that would be a baaad thing XD Natsu's sickness rubs off on her well she'd probably be better at taking the pills on time XD. Thanks for reviewing!

**LOL: **I LOVE YOU TOO MAN, HELL YEA WE B MARRIED! Haha aw thankya so much! Thankyou for reviewing!

**The Punk Rock Chick: **YESSIR you guess right! Great job! Fissshhhyyy! Aw thankyou so much ^^ thanks for reviewing!

**PhoenixedDragon: **Thankya! Oh ho ho, we shall find out everything later ^^' it'll be in the middle of some serious drama, or after, you'll understand what I mean when I write it XD

Lucy: Yeah, I'll keep that in mind...I'll just never touch anything ever again...

Me: Not even Natsu?

Lucy: *Sputters uncontrollably*

Me: TEEHEE I"M SUCH A PERV! Anyway thankyou for reviewing!

**Footster26: **Yeppers, I should be putting more of that in later ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**pure-arc: **Why thankyou! AHA you guessed it riiight! Hahah, don't think washing her hands would've helped in this situatioooon haahah. I sure do! It just takes time some days! Thankyou for reviewing ^^

**NewMusic098: **O_O Well if that wasn't just awesome I don't know what is. Hahah, I love reading your reviews for a while I jsut forget that I'm reading one cause it just turns into a story and it makes me laugh and flail! Thankyou so much for the awesome review! ^^

**Yuiina: **Thankyou! You'll havta keep reading to find out ^^ Thankyou for reviewing!

**LivingGlow: **I AGREE WITH YOU...I'm not a big fan of Lisanna, she was dead and honestly it was a huge chunk of character development that she died, for more than one character Even Hiro himself said he regretted bringing her back. Its not that I don't like her as a character but I think she should've stayed dead for the development of everyone else...SOOO don't worry I do agree with you but she will be at least mentioned in the story... buuut thankyou for reviewing! and thankyou very much I'm glad you like it ^^

**Panchan: **I"M SORRRYYY I'm awful for leaving it so long but a lot happens that makes me too busy! I'm glad your liking it hope you enjoyed this chappy too ^^ Thankyou for reviewing!

**EminaRukiax: **I know, I'm just awful eh? I'm a cliffy fanatic...IM SORRYYY! Aw shucks, thankyou very much!

**xXFairy-girlXx: **Teehee, nope she just being siiiiickk from the eveil fishy thats not actualyy a fiisshhh hahahah O_o Thankyou! and thankyou for reviewing!

**NatsuXLucyForever: **Pffftt as Y U SO NICE! Oh, you good! That's exactly why ^^ TEEHEE AW! Thankyou I'm so happy you will ^^ Thankyouuu!

**Callisto Sangre: **Oh ho, that's pretty good thankyou for sharing with me ^^ Oh yeah I agree she is too whiny, but I think that's to be expected as she just stopped getting the high princess life right? No worries, she'll slow down on the whinyness soon ^^ Thankyou very much!

**AMU: **Awww teehee, yeah I'm glad someone caught that too ^^ there will be more info on that later as well :( haha Natsu will always pop bubbles, he;s not even aware of doing it but he does. pregnant? lmao oooohmygod that would be awful, but technically she is XD OMG Never thought of it that way but she has little babies inside of her, yeah theyre still eggs...but thats the definition of being pregnant loool IM SORRY! Thankyou for reviewing!

**KENDRA1212: **Hahah yep, not very cute indeed! But the cute ones are the dangerous ones in real life too ! DUN DUN DUUUN! Thankyou! Thankyou for reviewing ^^

**Alice Harkey: **OHHH NO I took so long to update I'm sorry! You're probably bald by now! YEP its the fiiish...thats not actually a fiiiisshhh. HAHAH NO I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU. I'm not a huge fan of Lisanna at all, she's a good character and whatever but honestly she should've stayed dead, it was way better for character development and even Hiro regretts bringing her back...so no worries I'm on the same page, you'll just have to see what I'm going to do with it ^^ ;) don't worry bout it I'm sure you'll see what I mean later heehee. No worries I appreciate your input ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**TheRandomGirl: **Teehee yeah they did! Well, the tried to take care of each other XD I'll make sure Happy's in it more later for sure ^^ Awwww yeah maybe ;) Thankyou for reviewing!

**Yellow: **Omg I know...it has worked for me once or twice but RARELY for the UBER good dreams! Evil Lisanna ghost? Nope not this time. YEP she got siiiiick! Heheh Thankyou for reviewing!

**kyia12: **Sooooorrryy it took so long to update :( but thankyou very much! And thankyou for reviewing!

**Rose Tiger: **I shall! Thankyou for reviewing ^^

**Angel-Wings Naya: **Teehee sudden is my styleee! I know, she shall get better ^^ Thankyou...oh sounds like words of wisdom! Thankyou! ^^

**urusaii: **Teehee OMG thankyou so much thats very flattering! Yeah it took me a while but I hop eyou enjoyed this chappy as well ^^ At least theres no huge cliffies this time right? Evil fish got her mwuahaha! No I like loong reviews they make me happy ^^ thankyou for reading!

**HitsuKarin: **Hiya! Thankyou very much! Mmmmmmaybe you'll havta read to find out ;) hahah thankyou for reviewing! ^^

**ArsenalGooner4Life: **Aw thankyou! I sure can! My boyfriend can't but I can, sometimes i can even control them ^^ those are the best. yeah my boyfriend wakes up and is like...that was a weird dream even though he doesn't remember what it was about either! XD hahah toilet? Say whaaa? Thankyou! Thankyou for reviewing!

**GoldenRoseLuceTanya: **Aw thankyou very much! ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**Jays Feather: **haha I'm sorry! I updated as fast as I could! Thankyou for reviewign ^^

**XxNaluxX: **Aw XD thankyou, I know I love pirates too ^^ everytime the anime goes on a boat and Natsu is on it too...I pretend he's a piiirraatteee XD weird but heck I like it...except he's all sick and stuff. Aw shucks thankyou very much! I appreciate it! Thankyou for reviewing!

**LinkLover123: **Wow, thankyou very much I appreciate it ^^ haha I know, he's just a big ball of adorable at times eh? Well, if you keep reading you'll see ^^ Thankyou for reviewing^^

**KarmaHope: **MWuahaha I know, just EVIL. Hope you like this chappy as well ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**Lily Nozuka: **Hahah, well you can read now! Look at that I updated the same day! Thankyou for reviewing!


	7. Doctor Doctor Gimme The News?

**Okay, so I was watching Fairy Tail and I noticed something. The colors of the characters tattoos match something about them. For example, I think that Erza's tattoo is blue because of Jellal, his hair is the same color as her tattoo. Gray's is a dark blue as well, same color as Ur's hair, his teacher. Natsu's is red like Igneel, who was a red dragon…and lastly my favourite, Lucy's is pink…hmmm possibly because it's just a girly color and Lucy has been known to be somewhat girly, or maybe it's a tribute to the guy who brought her to the guild, a certain person with pink hair? Not to mention as soon as she got it she immediately went over to show him hahah…then he called her Luigi. XD**

**Anyway just wanted to share that with you guys cause I thought it was interesting ^^ if you hadn't noticed already :P**

* * *

It was worse than before. Lucy could tell as soon as she woke up. Her stomach ached and her heartbeat could be felt in her swollen hand. At least she wasn't wet anymore that was a nice touch…in fact she was toasty warm. Her groggy mind slowly began to register she was waking up and her eyes slid open.

Oh that was why, Natsu had his arms wrapped around her in bed.

Yep. Nothing wrong with that.

Nothing at all.

Click.

She slammed her hands against his chest, instantly regretting the idea as her hand throbbed and the force she used pushed both of them off either side of the bed. Lucy couldn't imagine it felt nice on his chest either. She toppled over the opposite side of the bed onto the floor hearing a thud as Natsu and her hit the ground.

Okay probably not the nicest way to wake the guy up but he couldn't just invade her personal space like that when she's unconscious. That was practically rape…even if he was just trying to warm her up.

Alright she was a jerk for doing that but it was an honest reaction on her part…

"…Ow…" She heard a small groan coming from the Captain. "Good morning to you too…"

She chuckled at his sarcasm and moved into a more comfortable position on the floor; she didn't have the strength to get up right now.

"Hey, you guys awake? We are ready when you are to leave." It was Gajeel's voice this time.

"Oh, are we there?" Lucy asked to Natsu, who had stood and nodded towards her. He looked like hell still, Lucy had managed to stay asleep through the night but he looked like he hadn't slept at all.

"Yeah, it's time for us to go get better." With that he extended a hand down and she gratefully took it. For a moment she swayed on her feet but it was hopefully only a bit more, she could use the last of her strength to get there it couldn't be far.

"Alright let's go!" He said loud enough so Gray could hear. He put his toque on, which Lucy stared at for a few moments. That must be hell right now, to wear a black toque when his temperature is that high, just to protect his identity? Natsu motioned for her to walk staying close to Lucy, they finally left the room and out into the sun.

Instantly Lucy felt her energy leave her, it was so hot outside it literally took her breath away. She could see the same reaction in Natsu, his eyes squinted in the sun. There was a small group waiting outside for them, only Erza, Gray, Gajeel and Happy.

Lucy wasn't sure why the cat was coming but…everyone seemed to accept it. Gajeel nodded towards the side of the ship, they had set up a large ramp so they could walk down instead of taking the ladder. Lucy almost shed a tear of gratitude.

"The plan is to find the doctor, get you guys fixed up and still have some reserve of money by the end of it all. That may be impossible but we deal with impossible all the time. Let's go." Erza stated, signalling Natsu and herself to go down the ramp first. "Try to make it all the way there, don't strain yourself too much. If one of you faints then the other will have to carry you, we cannot help you this time."

Natsu nodded and Lucy followed suit. If Natsu fainted she'd be screwed! At least if she did then it wouldn't be _that _hard for him to carry her. Shivering at the thought Lucy didn't pick up her feet and ended up stubbing her toes on the wood. She stumbled but only for a short period of time before Natsu's hand grabbed her arm and steadied her.

"Walk carefully." Was all he said, still not letting her arm go. They reached the bottom without any more problems and waited as the others made their way down, hauling a big chest Lucy could only assume was full of money.

Just how much was this cure?

She saw Natsu's head turn and look down the long length of docks, now that Lucy looked she saw a little boy standing there. Scruffy black hair, somewhat scrawny but his big eyes were huge and green and staring right at them.

"Are you pirates?" He asked walking up to them but still staying away at a cautious distance.

"No. We are merchants." Natsu responded kindly.

"You look like pirates. Don't lie if you are, I won't tell anyone. I think pirates are cool." The boy smiled at them and Lucy couldn't help but smile back. He must have not been a day over five.

"Hahah, yeah pirates are cool aren't they? Alright kid between you and me we are pirates."

"Natsu!" Lucy resisted the urge to smack him, wasn't it important to keep that information a secret?

"Really! Wow! That's so cool! You should take me out too! I don't need to live here I could just be a pirate!" The boy was practically jumping up and down now.

"Sorry kid, the ships pretty full, but you can help us out if you'd like. Do you know where the closest doctor is?" Natsu continued, Lucy watched him talk to the boy he seemed to be good with kids. It didn't surprise her considering he could act like one sometimes.

"Yeah! I'm going there right now for a check-up actually! I just got distracted by your pirate ship and had to come see it! It's up the hill a bit on main street. It's a big green building on the left…no right it's on the right. You can't miss it it's got a big "Doctor" sign out front and everything!"

"Alright, thanks kid!" Natsu smiled.

"I'll wait for you outside and after, since I helped you out you can give me a ride at least right?" The kid turned away as if to say Natsu had so say in the matter.

"Hahah, what's your name kid?"

"Conner." He swiveled around.

"Alright Conner, I'll see you later."

Conner's eyes lit up when he understood; he nodded his head enthusiastically and ran off. Practically skipping away.

Lucy smiled, it surprised her how something so easy for a pirate could mean so much for a little kid.

"Alright, you done? Let's go already." Gajeel growled from behind the two. Natsu took Lucy's arm and began to walk off the docks onto the land.

It took them a very long time to make it up the hill. The sun was hot and it didn't make it easier on the two. The few members of the crew that were escorting them looked like they wanted to help but no one reached out a hand. They couldn't afford it for all they knew.

"You doing alright?" Natsu whispered. It was probably the loudest volume he could muster right now. They each ended up with an arm wrapped around the others back, giving each other as much support as possible. Lucy didn't even have any breath to answer back, she just nodded her head in response. She felt like giving up, it had never taken so long to move somewhere before. To simply walk was a difficult task. Her feet felt so heavy.

She was so ready to finally be done with this whole thing.

So when she saw the big 'Doctor' sign out front of a larger building she was practically dragging Natsu the rest of the way as she tried to close the distance between her and the doctor as fast as possible.

Then they were there. Gray opened the door for all of them, allowing Natsu and Lucy to hobble in without touching anything. For a brief moment Lucy wondered where Conner was, hadn't he said he would be waiting outside for them? Lucy just shrugged it off.

Erza was already at the front desk, demanding to see a doctor immediately. The poor receptionist seemed a little frightened but scooted off quickly enough either and Gray took a seat off to the side, already looking bored as hell. The cat...Happy...climbed up on his own chair and sat there looking around. Lucy still thought the cat was strange.

"She said that one of the doctors was in an appointment right now. Apparently there are only two doctors here. The other will be with us immediately but for now you two are supposed to go down the hall and in the first door on the right. Just make sure to not touch anything, I'll let them know your situation." Erza stated, walking up to the two.

Lucy nodded and started towards the hallway, Natsu had been unusually quiet for the last little while and she wanted to know why, all she heard was his quiet breathing, which had begun to sound more like panting now. Perhaps he was on the verge of passing out again. She managed to hold a quick pace until they got to the room. Pulling him along again she turned him so he would sit on the bed that was in the small room. The white walls, the white bedding, the smell of antiseptic. It was definitely like a mini hospital. She looked at Natsu, his head was hanging a bit and after a moment he reached up and covered his mouth and nose. For a second she thought he was going to throw up but he didn't move at all.

"Natsu? What's wrong?" She asked him, sitting down beside him, her legs were tired and she didn't feel like she could stand any longer anyway.

"…smell…it's the smell." He muttered, his hand still on his face.

"…what about it? It just smells like antiseptic and sanitizer."

"No…not that…it smells like blood…a lot of blood."

Lucy was somewhat startled by that statement. It was just a small doctor's office, sure it was three stories high but it only had two doctors in it. It shouldn't smell like blood to the high extent Natsu smelt. That just didn't make sense. She was going to question him when someone appeared in the doorway.

"Hello. I am Dr. Hadgins. I understand you were infected by Kiseichuu, we have discussed the payment with your companions outside. We will be performing the treatment immediately. How long has it been since you have been infected?" It was a female, she was pretty and her long blonde hair hung down to the middle of her back.

"I've been sick for about 2 days, I infected him about 6 hours later?" Lucy answered, pointing at Natsu, whose eyes were squeezed shut now.

What was wrong with him?

"Alright, and by looking at you two I assume your point of entry was on your hand, and for him on his chest?" She continued, coming a bit closer but still staying a safe distance away.

Lucy nodded in response, she was starting to sweat again. It was getting really hot again.

"This type of infection is a tricky one. It's severity depends on the point of entry. For yourself it would take a while for the eggs to spread through your system. However, for this gentleman, it is less fortunate." She continued on as if this was normal day life, her face expressionless as she talked. Something about her Lucy felt was off, Lucy didn't like her.

"You see, from the spot it entered it's probably in his lungs and since it's on his chest it entered his blood stream near his heart. The heart sends the blood to the rest of the body, and therefore the eggs are sent everywhere else. This way is harder to remove. He will have to go for surgery."

Lucy eyes widened. Surgery?

"What? Why?" She questioned, even though Dr. Hadgins had explained why she couldn't help but be shocked by the turnout.

"Lucy was it? If you do not understand I will explain after the surgery, but for now please do not question me. I am a doctor and I assure you I know what I am doing, this is not the first case of this I have seen. Time is of the essence here, the longer we wait the more of a risk the surgery will be."

A risk? This was never supposed to be a risk; this was supposed to be quick and easy. This was supposed to be a quick needle or something. Not surgery. Did the point of entry make that much of a difference?

"I'm here!" A man appeared in the doorway as well. He seemed kinder than the woman. His face was softer and gave Lucy a bit more of a relaxed feeling. He had a neatly trimmed beard and was a little chubby. Were the two actually married? They were like polar opposites of each other.

"I'm also Dr. Hadgins, just the male version ahaha. Not as good looking as the other one." He joked walking up to them with a smile. " I understand you guys have a problem that needs solving. Don't worry little lady we will make sure your friend gets all fixed up." He smiled wider at him and Lucy felt herself nodding in response. She felt safer in his hands. She noticed he had brought another bed on wheels with him.

"Alright son, if I can get you to climb up on here you can just relax the rest of the way and let us take care of you." Once again, the smile never left his face.

Natsu opened his eyes again, and stared at the guy. For a few moments Natsu didn't move and Lucy began to worry, he didn't look like he trusted the guy much. Then he shakily stood and sat on the other bed, lying down. His face got scrunched up as he got closer to the doctor. Natsu didn't look very happy.

"Sweetie, if you could wheel him into the other room please." The male doctor asked, his wife nodded politely and began to cart Natsu away. Immediatly Lucy stood, she stepped in front of the cart. The lady stopped moving him and stared at her with annoyed eyes.

"Miss, excuse me I need to prep him for surgery now." She stated, her cool voice not doing anything to calm Lucy's nerves. Lucy looked down at Natsu, who was peering up at her from the bed. Lucy walked beside the bed, leaning over close to Natsu so the others couldn't hear her she grabbed his hand as well. Making it look convincing like a couple, so the doctors wouldn't bug them for a few moments.

"You gonna be okay?" Lucy asked. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"I have no idea...I've never had...surgery before." He muttered, staring down at her hand on his. Clearly he didn't get what she was doing.

Plus that wasn't what Lucy was asking. Maybe it was best if he did go, it looked like it was beginning to pain him to talk.

"Maybe we can find another doctor with the cure?" Lucy whispered, looking straight into his eyes, trying to get her message across.

"Shuup."

Lucy practically felt the vein pop out on her forehead. Was he really mocking her at a time like this?

"This is the...only doctor around...for a while...we'd be dead...by the time...we got to another." His words grated out of his throat.

Lucy nodded, she knew he was right but...

"Miss?" The doctor's voice was being impatient now.

Lucy straightened up, unconsciously giving Natsu's hand an encouraging squeeze before stepping back. Then the doctor pushed Natsu away, his eyes stared at her until he left the room.

Lucy felt her chest tighten when he disappeared out of her view. Something didn't feel right.

"Alright Miss, if you could just hold still for a moment. We don't want both of us getting sick right? The cure is very rare, we don't want to waste it." The male doctor said, approaching her with a needle. Lucy hadn't taken her gaze off from where Natsu had disappeared. She sat still and let him prick her with the needle. Lucy had never liked needles but if it was going to make her feel better she was all for it. She felt the pressure as the liquid entered her veins. It was almost immediate, she felt her temperature cool down and her stomach pain began to ebb away. This left Lucy confused. Was that all there was to it?

"I don't get it…why couldn't you just give Natsu a needle too?" Lucy questioned, staring at the doctor intently.

"Well, you see sweetheart. If it's in his lungs it is a lot harder than that to get out, we actually have to open him up and remove the eggs by hand. If it's just in the blood stream it's a lot easier." He stated simply. "Now, if you would excuse me I will be tending to your friend now. Do not worry." With another smile he turned and was gone.

Lucy stared down the hallway after him. For a while she was in a daze until there was a flash of blue that made her jolt back to reality. It was a small girl, younger than herself by at least four or five years. She was very beautiful, long blue hair that went almost to the floor. She smiled kindly at Lucy.

"Hi. My name is Wendy." She spoke quietly, it was obvious that she was very shy.

"Hi Wendy." Lucy tried not to show the confusion that she was feeling. What was Wendy doing here exactly?

"I'm the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hadgins…they adopted me actually…" Wendy continued, looking at a clipboard. Lucy thought it was weird how she referred to her parents as Mr. and Mrs…instead of Mom and Dad…or even with a Dr. prefix.

"Oh, okay." Lucy muttered, still somewhat confused as to why the daughter was here. Was she playing doctor or something? What was with the clipboard?

"What's with the clipboard?" There her brain goes saying things out loud she should just be thinking. At first Wendy's eyes were a bit worried.

"…Please don't tell my parents…I like to double check what they have done." She practically whispered.

Lucy's jaw practically dropped. Was she being serious right now? A kid could understand all the medical terms and medicine deemed appropriate to heal a person? That was insane…if it was true.

"You actually understand everything?" Lucy couldn't help but ask, nodding towards the clipboard in Wendy's hands.

"Ah, yeah I do. I like to read the medical books around here and I caught on quickly." She explained, still shy about the whole ordeal.

"So you know what's going on with Natsu and I?" Lucy continued.

"Yes, you were infected by Kiseichuu right? The fish that implants eggs into any other living mammals blood stream. The eggs feed off of the iron and other minerals in your blood, which makes you pretty sick. Symptoms include nausea, severe stomach pain, headaches, and swelling of the initial entry area. Depending on the point of entry it could lead to breathing problems or even immediate death. That's only if the eggs enter your brain though." She rattled off, like she was reading it straight from a book.

That would explain Natsu and his breathing problems, thank god she didn't touch his head when he caught her. She would've killed her Captain.

"The cure doesn't take long to kill all the eggs inside you, your other friends will be allowed in here in about five more minutes." Wendy muttered staring at something on the clipboard.

"So…that's why he had to be taken to surgery?" Lucy asked still stuck on the fact Natsu had to go and not her, she felt better asking this girl. Something was trustworthy about her, she seemed honest and kind.

The reaction wasn't one that Lucy had hoped for. It was only for a brief second but her eyes widened as she read something on the sheet, she looked downright upset. Wendy turned away, hiding her expression from Lucy. Then the girl's atmosphere changed completely. It was darker and she seemed to speak on autopilot.

"The procedure is very risky." Were her final words before she exited the room. Lucy swallowed hard.

Why did everyone keep saying that?

* * *

Natsu blinked over and over. His eyes were watering more than ever. Since they entered the room the smell of blood had become unbearable, his eyes wouldn't stop watering. Natsu had thought it was bad before. Blood was one of the smells that Natsu couldn't handle, especially in strong doses like this. Anything that smelt very strong he couldn't handle well.

They had already injected him with something that made his thoughts hazy and his muscle movements damn near impossible. Natsu assumed it was to eventually make him fall asleep. He had probably had about three needles before the second doctor walked in. They shared a silent understanding, one simply nodding at the other. Then they looked oddly happy.

"To think we would be this lucky. Two jackpots in one day?" The male doctor spoke, they were scooting around the room out of Natsu's vision grabbing tools and other doctor stuff.

"Well the one earlier today had been planned for months remember? This one is just a stroke of luck. To think he even has the same blood type as four of our highest bidders!" The female responded.

"Too bad about all those scars though, the scar tissue on his organs isn't going to look very good."

They were speaking quietly to each other but Natsu heard every word. His eyebrow raised, but what were they talking about?

"Yeah, but he's very fit and healthy. Well he will be healthy after this haha." The man spoke, Natsu felt another jab of a needle right in his chest. He flinched, he could still feel pain very well, especially when they roughly jabbed a needle into the sore spot on his chest. His body relaxed after a few moments though, and honestly Natsu could say he had began to feel a lot better. The red itchy skin on his chest had even begun to fade away before his eyes.

"So which organs can we use?" The man asked his wife, pulling the needle out of Natsu's chest.

"Well, there's a prince over in Branith that needs two kidneys, who is willing to pay a lot of money for it. Then there is a wealthy man in Hindensville that needs a heart and his wife needs a liver. Another woman in Villmon who needs a pancreas desperately. All are blood type AB, just like him." The woman read off a sheet she had just picked up.

Natsu squinted his eyes as he stared at the ceiling, just like who? Natsu was blood type AB, he knew that much but he still wasn't following their conversation well. It didn't help that all the stuff that they injected him with had made him so drowsy. What the hell were they saying? What was all this talk about organs? Natsu twitched as something cold was laid across his stomach. Glancing down he saw that the guy had begun to strap Natsu in. The buckles were cold on his skin. The doctor pulled roughly on the straps until if felt like they were cutting circulation off. Then he walked over to Natsu's head, and pushed so Natsu's head would lie flat on his cheek. They strapped his head down too. They hadn't even said a word to Natsu since they left the room with Lucy in it.

What the hell was with all the restraints? The doctor moved away leaving Natsu to stare across the room. That was when Natsu's stomach dropped, there was someone else on a bed in the corner of the room. There was blood leaking down the side of the bed and onto a large puddle on the floor. No wonder the room reeked of blood. It was a small body, only a child. His small chest was left wide open, his bed had been carelessly abandoned in the corner. The disheveled black hair covered most of his closed eyes. Natsu recognized his scent, his breathing hitched in his throat.

"Connor?"

* * *

**I know you're all gonna hate me for that cliffy. I'm already very sorry.****  
**

**I have a challenge for my readers!  
**

**Let me know what you think is happening or what you think will happen!  
**

**I always love hearing what you guys have to say ^^ thankyou for reading, let me know how I did ^^  
**

**How bout that last chapter, hope to see some Nalu in chapter 292! Can't wait!  
**

**To my fantastic reviewers! Thankyou so much! 229 reviews already! God I love you guys so much thankyou!  
**

**Miss Unperfect 101:** Haha well I made up for it XD there's a massive cliffy for you ^^ thankyou very much ^^

**Princess Happy: **XD thankya! hope you continue to enjoy it ^^

**KarmaHope: **Mwuahah i enjoy throwing twists and turns in that no one can guess! MWEUAHAHA...though sometimes people guess it XD haha ^^'

**Guest: **Aww thankya! I'm glad you think so ^^ teehee I'm glad you enjoy it! Hope I continue to make you happy ^^

**PhoenixedDragon: **Hahah nope, I was just thinking about what it could be, there are parasites out there that are very similar, that implant other things with their eggs, then they kill whatever they hatch in...and then eat it...yeah it's pretty gross XD Aw thanyou! I'm glad you think so that means a lot ^^ YES PERVS UNITED!

**Wasabi-kun: **Hahah I'm glad you enjoyed it ^^

Lucy: I don't think luck will help me in this situation...LeeSUP is insane.

Me: Why yes...yes I am...and it may not help you...MWUAHAHA

Lucy: See what I mean? See what I have to deal with?

Me: Oh whatever your fine with it cause you get to snuggle with Natsu once in a while!

Lucy: W-What! No!

Me: Right Natsu?

Natsu: Hm? what? What are you guys talking about?

Me: Just say yes.

Natsu:...yes?

Me:See? Natsu agrees with me.

Lucy: Oh shut up.

Me: No you Shuup.

Lucy: -_-

Natsu: ?

...sorry I got a bit carried away there haha ANYWAY! Thankyou for reviewig ^^

**Guest: **YES CAPS ALL THE WAY MAN YAHOO WHERE WE GO FOR THE HONEYMOON? I STILL HAVE NO IDEA IF YOUR A GIRL OR A GUY! HAHAH BUT THANKYOU FOR REVIEWING AND MARRYING ME HAHAHWUAHAHA!

**Melyora: **Aw shucks! Thankyou so much for the nice review! I'm glad you think all of those things it makes me uber happy ^^ hope you enjoyed this chappy too ^^

**dexter-dash: **Mwuahah cliffy!...I introduced an OC in this chapter...there will be more eventually... ahah I have no idea how long its been since I last updated...2 weeks? maybe? haha thankyou for updating!

**GoldenRoseLuceTanya: **^^ I'm galad you did, don't forget to try my challeennggeee! Thankyou for reviewing ^^

**CelticBlackRose: **AAAAHHH thankyou! Hope you enjoy this one as well ^^

**Heroic Panda: **teehee heroic panda, makes me have a funny picture in my head of apanda kickin some ass! Aw thankyou! Haha XD yeah it is pretty gross eh? hahah yep, got lots of twists, I must be good at Twister! ^^ thankyou!

**ZilverWolf: **^^ Why thankya! I'm glad you liked it ^^ let me know what you thought of this one as well! Or do the CHALLAANNGGEEE

**KirstyKakes: **Hahah I'm glad you do ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**NoemiNalu: **Teehee sorry if I took a while! Hope you didn't have to wait relaly long for this one ^^

**Guest: **haha I do believe Natsu can be sweet at times, its just sooo adorable when he is, it makes me flail hardcore. ^^ thankyou for reviewing NAYA!

**Lemonsnaps: **Tehee! I'm glad you did ^^ exaggerated letters are the XD Haha there is a sadistic side to all of us XD Is it wrong I don't feel bad fore cerating this? mwuahah! I enjoy it...that can very much so be considered sadistic...but oh well indeed! Life is good! Aw thankyou so much ! ^^

**Eminaruikiax: **Hahahah, not anytime soon...I can't really write it...I end up flailing too much and knocking my laptop over, the dirtiest I can write is how far I went in "A bad thing?" My other fic...and that was difficult for me XD and I still have to write another chapter! How the hell can I do that! and people are wanting me to write it...more M like...ahhhhh!...anyway getting away from mylittle rant ahah. XD We are all pervs to some extent. IM SO SORRY ABOUT THIS CLIFFY AHHH!

**Alice Harkey: **^^ Thankyou! I hope this wasn't too long of a wait ^^ Ah shucks your welcome! I'm happy you think they are awesome ^^

**IYRGirl: **Teehee! Thankya! Oh I bet you wish I didn't write this chappy cause now you will havta wait for the next one...and with that horrible cliffy I'd be all WTFBBQ! ^^ thankyou for reviweing!

**Guest: **Whooot my OTP! NALUUUU! Aw! Well welcome to the bestest fandom every! Thankyou so much! THanks for reviewign!

**Guest: **Teehee nope, I enjoyed writing it XD ! its not wrong at all XD teehee thankyou Sara6! Thanks for reviewing!

**Lectori Salutem: **Yeah it is, there is actually parasitic bugs out there like that...lovely I know right? groooooosss hahahe yeah she doesn't, I'm so mean to her :P let me know what you thought of this chappy! Thanks for reviewing!

**Guest: **Awesome Reviewer! ^^ thankyou!

**Jays Feather: **^^ thankyou very much! yessir, but...what's next? DUN DUN DUUUUN

**NewMusic098: **

Me: Oh...I worked something out MWUAHAH

Lucy: You worked out nothing! You just created more problems!

Natsu: I still have no idea what's going on...

Lucy: THAT"S BECAUSE SHE DRUGGED YOU UP!

Me: I did no such thing, the doctors did that.

Lucy: You control the doctors!

Me: I control everything, I am the puppetmaster in this sharade! mWUAHAH!

Lucy: We are all gonna die aren't we?

Me: You never know *evil face*

Teehee! Thankyou for reviewing again! Another awesome review that made me flail in happiness XD

Me: Mwuahahah!

**AMU-dattebyo: **Hahah omg they are pregnant now that I think about it loool pffft whateverrr write whatever you want! You haz talent and it only gets better with time ^^ it's all good your still AMU to meeee just with a little extra DATTEBYOOO yessir one of my favourite reviewers right here ^^ haha no one knows she can't swim yet XD lmao mwuahaha YES marry Natsuuuu...eventually hahah thankyou! Thankyouuuu so much for reviewing!

**Guest: **Ah thankyou so much! I'm glad you think so, I worked hard to make sure the plot could carry on and still make sense. Thankyou very much PARADISE.x !

**OPFAN: **hahah yeppers, this world is not for the squeamish. XD yessir! thankyou for reviewing!

**LivingGlow: **thankyou! hahah aw, shucks! I think he does too teehee XP thankyou so much for reviewing!

**Footster26: **hahah yeppers they vill kvill youuu if u touch em...not cool fish...not cool at all. XD thaknyou for reviewing!

**Tai Ru Kaerisato: **XD oh just wait, it can and may get more angsty yet...but not too angsty, there's still gotta be actioooon right? ^^ your welcome! Thankyou for reviewing!

**CupcakeGirl633: **RIGHT NOOOOOOOOW WHOOOOOOT CAPS ALL THE WAAAYYY! ^^

**XoxoFairyTailXoxo: **^^ Thankyou I',m glad you love it ^^ thanks for reviewing!

**asuka2277: **As you wish I shall write moooooreeee! ^^ Thankyou!

**The HYbrid Monkey: **In the begginning it was up to her knees, or a bit past them, it made walking really hard, that's why they fell over a lot and when they fell they could still be submerged right ^^ I may, it's still a secret XP Continue reading to find out ^^

**blueash222: **thankya! Hope you enjoyed this chappy as well ^^

**xXFairy-girlXx: **^^ aw thankyou I hope you continue to enjoy reading ^^

**LinkLover123: **As far as I know there isn't one that effects humans, there are certain parasitic bugs that do this though, that's where I got the idea from ^^ haha no I completely agree with you ^^ I'm honestly not a huge Lisanna fan, you'll see what I do with it later though ^^ no worries. Thankyou for reviweing!

**Laffy50: **Thankyou very much! I'm glad you like it hop eyou continue to as well ^^

**heeeyleen: **^^ thankyou! YES One Piece is one of my favourites! yeah, I try my best to catch the typos but some still slip on through ^^' no I appreciate critiquing ^^ hahah no worries, I'm hoping to get a better phone soon so I can go online anywhere...that would be SO NICE! Thankyou for reviewing ^^

**Guest: **Aw no thank you! Okai I hope you continue to read and enjoy! Thankyou for reviewing!

**FictionXLover: **Thankyou! ^^ hope you continue to enjoy it ^^

**naluuuu: **I have now! Hope you enjoy it as well! oh ho ho, maybe I shall enclude a chappy when Lucy gets drunk XD thanks for reviewing!

**Blue-Phoenix311: ** hahah XD yep there is a little bit of perv in all of us! XD ahah

**smile-arashi: **Haha I updated! I shall do my best ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**XxSakuraPetalsxX: **^^ I know I do too, tis wh I couldn't help but write this XD hope youi haven't gone insane yet!

**XxsakuraPetalsxX: **haha bothering me with reviews? no such thing! OMG REALLY! AHHH I'm so happy, One Piece is just awesome, there's a new movie coming out too that makes me flail just thinking about haha.

**NatsuXLucyForever: **AW thankyou! No I don't think I'm a genius! haha you flatter me! Aw y you so nice! I really appreciate that! Thankyou so much for reviewing!

**Jasmine-.-Momo-Chan:** Hahah thankyou so much for your reviews I appreciate when people read and review every chapter it makes my day! haha a lot of people caught on to that hair thing XD there are pervs amoungst us! I am a big one as well...I was the one who wrote it after all XD haah I'm glad your enjoying it so much but I cannot answer any of your questions this time, or it'll ruin to much XP but yeah there will be more female characters, hahah thankyou for reviewing! look at that I updated inthe same day! :P


	8. Done Deal

**First off I'd like to dedicate this chapter to natsulucylove on Tumblr, I was just cruising through the Fairy Tail stuff and I saw this post about my story, yeah this story, saying that it's awesome and it had pictures and my name on it and I seriously almost cried...it was such a nice surprise so I thought this was the least I could do!**

**Thanks so much natsulucylove! Hope you see this! ^^**

**And thankyou everyone else for the awesome reviews! Enjoy and sorry for the horribly long wait! ^^'**

**But I'm pretty sure this is one of the longer ones soooooo here ya goooo ^^  
**

* * *

Lucy drummed her fingers on the bed, she was feeling anxious. She was lost in thought, it had been about fifteen minutes since the doctor left and she couldn't shake this feeling. The feeling that something was off.

Why had Natsu smelt so much blood? That had been bothering her the entire time. Then there was their daughter...who was a bit unusual and seemed depressed before she had left earlier. The cure didn't make sense and Lucy was honestly still confused as to why Natsu had to be taken to surgery. If the eggs were small enough to be circulating in the blood stream then how the hell could they pick them out by hand like the doctor had hinted towards?

Things just weren't adding up here.

A familiar blue color entered Lucy's vision, apparently Wendy was showing Lucy's friends the way to Lucy's room.

"You are looking better." Erza stated with a small smile. Gajeel seemed to just ignore everyone else in the room while Gray nodded slightly. The cat jumped up on the bed and sat in her lap.

She almost pushed it off. It wasn't that she didn't like the cat...it was just still a little creepy to her. Wendy turned to leave.

"Hey wait!" Lucy shouted, Erza stepped in front of Wendy to stop her from leaving as soon as Lucy sounded. It was nice having Erza around. The young girl let out a small noise of shock but slowly turned back around to face her.

"W-What do you want" She asked, turning back around to face Lucy, all eyes were on her.

"Not much, I just wanted to ask you some questions since you're so smart." Lucy smiled.

"O-oh...well I was just l-leaving before..." Her eyes widened and her mouth snapped shut like she had said something wrong.

"Before what?" Gajeel spoke up from the corner, his voice intimidating and low. Her stared at her from across the room.

"Nothing! Before nothing!" Wendy was shaking, her lip quivered as she spoke. The girl seemed terrified. Why? There shouldn't be anything to be upset over right now. It wasn't calming Lucy's nerves.

Lucy placed Happy beside her, sliding up the bed she walked up to Wendy.

"Wendy, before what?" Lucy asked, kneeling so she was more on Wendy's level. She tried to keep her voice quiet and calm.

"B-B...Before you guys find out!" Wendy cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.

* * *

Natsu couldn't take his eyes off the scene before him. To say he was shocked was an understatement. One of the doctors noticed his gaze as he prepped around Natsu.

"Oh honey, couldn't you have cleaned up?" It was the husband that spoke.

"Why? We are just going to dirty our hands again, might as well gather all the trash up in one big swoop."

Trash? Natsu's eye twitched.

"He seems to know the boy though, such a sin to see someone you know dead before you die yourself. This guy's last moments aren't very cheery at all!" Then he laughed.

The kind of laugh that would come after some kind of funny joke. Natsu didn't find any of this funny. His eyes ripped off Conner to stare up at the doctors.

He was beginning to understand, Natsu narrowed his eyes at the female. She was stretching gloves onto her hands.

"Oh? Are you upset?" She giggled, her hand running down his neck and slowly pulling off his scarf. "Do you want to know why little Conner had to die? You see, there are people who will pay very good money to have a second shot at life. A man with a sick son perhaps. He goes to the black market and specially orders some organs, we take a look around and do what we can. Little Conner here just turned ripe enough for us to harvest his organs, so to speak. We finished making sure he didn't have anything wrong with him first. Whatever we take out we put in the freezer to be shipped away. Then we get money in return, a lot of money. People are gullible, they don't understand medical terms, sometimes you can even bump up the price just because of their ignorance." Now she pulled his toque off, dropping it onto the floor with his scarf.

"Oh? Unusual color of hair you have there. What did his companions claim they were?" She asked behind her to her husband her eyes already all knowing.

"Traveling merchants." He responded.

"Merchants? Hahah! I guess we are ridding the world of a pirate and getting paid for it as well! Who would think that Natsu Dragneel would wander into our little place? I never really liked pirates to begin with, so unfortunate for you." That stupid giggle again. Hadn't she been all serious and quiet before? Her personality had changed dramatically. Sadistic bitch. She flipped a scalpel around in her hand, dragging the sharp end down Natsu's cheek.

Natsu couldn't even move as she dragged it downwards. He could barely feel it. In fact he couldn't really feel his entire body much at the moment.

"What are you doing!" The other doctor shouted at her, grabbing her hand away. She wore a pouty face but didn't resist to be moved.

"If we are to make them believe the surgery went wrong we can't have him sliced up everywhere!" He growled at her, dropping her hand and getting back to what he had been doing.

Natsu felt blood run down his face and down his neck. It began to pool on the white pillow under his head.

Good thing she took his scarf off or he'd be pissed that she got blood stains on it...though the fact that it was on the ground wasn't much better.

"I just wanted to get some kind of reaction out of him; I really want to know how he knew Conner." She cooed, staring back at Natsu. "Did you know that he is an orphan? Yep, his parents ditched him as a child; one elderly lady took him in and has been raising him since. Though she'd dirt poor, but you see, that's what makes him a perfect candidate for organ harvesting. We tell the old bat that we will give him free health care, she willingly agrees, we take what we need and tell her that his appendix exploded or something and there was nothing we could do. Little Conner was a nobody and will forever remain a nobody. He existed only to let another little boy live longer."

Natsu felt his body heat up; these disgusting excuses for doctors were just playing with people's lives. He looked back at Conner. The poor child was dead, his hand hanging limply by the side of the bed. When people die there was no way to bring them back, Natsu knew this better than anybody. No magic like that exists. He squeezed his eyes shut as waves of anger swept over him.

Money.

Greed.

This was what drove people to do these kinds of things. To kill innocent people, just for money.

His skin began to heat up.

"Now it's your turn, we will be needing some of your organs now Natsu Dragneel. You only exist to allow other people to live. Now fall asleep." The female doctor said, squeezing more liquid into Natsu's veins.

Natsu's fingers twitched, his eyes shooting open. The straps around his body began to smoke.

"What the-"

* * *

"Before we find out what?" Gray spoke this time, looking down at the small crying girl.

She only shook her head in response. Lucy reached out to the girl, trying to get Wendy to look back up into her eyes.

"Wendy, tell us what's wrong please. We may be able to help you." Lucy smiled; it was a false smile due to the odd behavior of the girl. Lucy didn't like the feeling this was giving her, what was she hiding?

"I-I can't! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!" Wendy sobbed turning to run away. Lucy managed to get a grip on her arm spinning her around.

Lucy wrapped her arms around the girl's smaller frame. Whenever Lucy was this upset her mother would embrace her and everything would seem so much better. She didn't know if it would work to comfort Wendy but it was worth a try. Lucy didn't say anything, just patiently waited. Eventually the little girl's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"...Y-Your...friend...he's...h-he's in danger! You n-need to go stop them! They aren't real d-doctors! They're gonna k-kill him!" Wendy hiccuped in between her words but the rest of the group understood enough. "I'm so sorry! I never wanted to...it's all wrong! I'm sorry!"

She continued to sob in Lucy's embrace, her words becoming incoherent babbles.

"Lead us to him." Erza ordered, her attitude was dark, Wendy looked up at her. The small blue haired girl held her eyes there for a few moments, rubbing the tears from them as her gaze changed to one of determination, she nodded.

Soon enough they were all running down the hallway after Wendy. Lucy squeezed her hands into fists, why was Natsu in danger? They were just doctors right? What could they do to him that was so dangerous? They had healed Lucy no problem. Natsu better be alright.

It was her fault that he was in here in the first place.

Wendy suddenly halted in front of a large metal door.

"This is it." She stated, stepping out of the way of Erza. Wendy seemed so small at the moment, like she was trying not to be there, trying not to be seen. What had this girl gone through?

Erza reached her hand out to push the door open when she hesitated.

Lucy took a deep breath, wiping the sweat from her brow. Was it just her or had the heat suddenly spiked? It was like someone turned the heater on full blast.

"Get down!" Erza shouted.

Before Lucy could even move Gray's body weight was thrown into her. She heard a whoosh as the metal door flew by them and smashed into the opposite wall. It was hard to breathe as the temperature skyrocketed, it didn't help that Gray was still lying on top of her, protecting her from whatever had happened. She stared at the door that had embedded itself into the wall where she had been standing. The entire door had been burnt.

Quickly glancing around she saw that Erza had managed to dodge on her own, the cat and Wendy were in Gajeel's grasp a few feet away.

Lucy felt weight get lifted off of her as Gray stood up again.

"You okay?" He asked her, reaching his hand down to pull her up. Ignoring her flaming red cheeks she nodded, still in a daze as she took his hand and was helped to her feet. That was when Lucy noticed the smoke billowing out of the door, flames licked the top of the ceiling all coming out of the room Natsu was supposed to be inside of.

Lucy felt her stomach drop, what had happened? Where had that explosion come from? Was there some kind of gas leak or something? Was Natsu okay?

Her thoughts were interrupted by an angry shout.

"Natsu you idiot! What the hell are you thinking pulling this kind of a stunt here? You wanna get arrested? You wanna kill somebody?" Gray's voice boomed through the hall.

Arrested? Why would he get arrested? Was the explosion his fault?

Erza frowned as she prepared herself to run into the fiery room.

Her plans were foiled as Natsu appeared in the doorway.

Lucy was shocked at his appearance, physically he looked okay, other than a gash on his cheek but it was his eyes that scared Lucy. They were half lidded and he didn't seem to be conscious at all, they were glazed over as if he was sleep-walking. His movements were slow but he stepped out of the smoke and Lucy realized he was carrying someone.

A small boy, he was hardly recognizable as he was covered in blood but nonetheless Lucy identified him as the little boy on the docks. Conner. His entire chest was open and Lucy resisted the urge to gag as she saw organs and bones in the mess of blood. Her hand found its way to cover her mouth as she realized he was dead; there was no hope for him anymore. What had he been doing in there with Natsu?

Would Natsu have ended up like that if they hadn't come sooner?

It made her lungs stop working just to think about it.

Gajeel was the first to make a move; he took the boy from Natsu's arms. At first Natsu wouldn't let go, his grip tight on the child but Gajeel easily overpowered Natsu, his sleep-like state was barely responsive. Gajeel spun around and called out for Wendy to check on the boy as he gently laid him on the ground. Lucy stood and watched everything unfold before her eyes. Erza and Gray ran into the room that was still on fire. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Wendy shake her head when she looked at the boy, of course there was nothing she could do for the boy. Conner was already dead.

Natsu was still standing alone in the middle of the hallway, swaying slightly. His eyelids fluttered slightly. Lucy slowly approached him, unsure what he was going to do. What she should do.

Something was obviously wrong with him; it was as if he was on autopilot or something. The lights were on but no one was home.

Lucy reached out to gently shake his shoulder when Natsu collapsed. Reacting on instant alone she grabbed a hold of him. Managing to get a hold on one of his arms. The unexpected weight pulled her down and she slid to her knees, her Captain hanging limply in her arms.

"A-ah! Wendy!" Lucy shouted in panic. Natsu wasn't responding to anything now, his eyes were still open just a little.

Wendy was kneeling beside the two in a matter of seconds, whispering small orders for Lucy to help with. They laid him on his back and Wendy began to check his vitals, her hands flying to check his pulse. After a few moments Wendy's body seemed to relax, Lucy's followed suit.

"He's okay, this is probably from the drugs they gave him to put him asleep. He should be asleep for the next few hours, I'm surprised he stayed awake this long. They must've given him an extra dose eventually. He should've been cured of his disease as well. They wouldn't have taken his organs like that anyway..." Wendy muttered, her face looked almost afraid of what Lucy would say.

"Ah...thanks Wendy." Lucy smiled at her. Although Wendy could've helped earlier Lucy was grateful. It was a relief Natsu would be okay.

How many people had died here already? How long had Wendy been going along with it? How long had it been torturing her? Why did she go along with it for so long? The way she was so upset over it meant she couldn't have been enjoying it.

Lucy felt a small tug on her dress and she looked down. Happy. She had almost forgotten about the cat.

He was looking up at her, his eyes pleading. What did he want exactly? Lucy just didn't understand. Happy couldn't talk with Wendy standing right there.

Gray and Erza finally emerged from the smoking room. They were carrying the two doctors. Their white lap coats were shriveled and black. Lucy wondered if they were even alive anymore, the smell of burnt skin filled the air. If they were they were seriously burnt and needed some kind of medical attention. Lucy looked to Wendy, she didn't make a move to help them.

What had they done to the poor girl?

Did they really deserve to be saved? Hopefully they got their own punishment soon, thrown in jail seemed too good for them.

"Take Natsu back to the ship Lucy. Happy, help her out." Erza stated, grabbing a fire extinguisher off the wall and running back into the room.

Lucy blinked. They wanted her and the _cat_ to bring Natsu back? Did they realise how heavy this guy was?

How the hell would the cat help? It was almost funny to say that. Except...it was not funny at all.

The cat did fly but still, this place wasn't deserted people would be staring at a flying cat. Magic was forbidden too, they'd just get in trouble.

Ignoring the obvious flaws in the plan Lucy nodded and grabbed one of Natsu's arms. Putting it behind her neck she strained herself to pull him up. He hung limply in her arms; this was not going to be easy. Happy lead the way down the hallway and Lucy began to walk away from the scene behind her.

"Wait!" it was Gray's voice; he came running up beside her. For a moment she was relieved, thinking he was going to help her drag the Captain back to the boat.

Nope. He placed Natsu's scarf into her hand and shoved the black toque back onto Natsu's head, hiding his pink hair once again.

Then he ran away.

Lucy rolled her eyes in frustration.

Though she couldn't complain, it was easier to carry the guy when she was feeling better. Even if he was a dead weight when he was completely out cold.

She made her way through the flurry of what few nurses the building had and other panicky people that were there. Some asking if she was okay, some actually making a grab for Natsu to see if he was alright.

Eventually she had to yell for everyone to screw off, words she wasn't used to using, Happy had begun to scratch at peoples ankles when they wouldn't leave. Lucy was thankful to have that help after all. Finally she made her way out of the door and into the fresh air.

There weren't many people around at first so Happy finally spoke.

"I'll fly ahead and see if anyone can help you out." and with that the cat ran into the nearest alley and took off. In the sky he only looked like a rather large bird.

She'd have to remember to thank him later.

Lucy begun to drag Natsu down the street. Honestly, she had gone from no contact with guys to a full out constant proximity to them in a matter of hours. Would her life always be like this? Not that she was really complaining...she hadn't met an unattractive man on Natsu's ship yet.

Deciding not to think too much on it right now Lucy focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Trying her best to ignore all the weird looks she got from passersby.

It probably did look rather weird, a blonde chick in a rather dirty and stained underdress hauling around this half naked unconscious guy.

She'd look at it weird too.

Lucy heard shouting and a commotion behind her, turning her head but not slowing her pace she glanced behind her.

There were people in uniforms running into the doctor's place; Lucy could only suspect they were some kind of police or firefighters or something. Some kind of law enforcers. She wondered what would happen to the doctors, and what about Wendy?

Where would she go? What about Conner? Didn't he have a family? She assumed the police would take care of all of those matters.

Though Lucy felt bad for most of it. What had Natsu gone through in that room? Where had the explosion come from? Gray had yelled something about him getting arrested for that.

Did that mean Natsu had used magic? That was why people got arrested right? Other than that what could Natsu have been doing illegal in there?

Natsu had some kind of magic, she knew that much. He had to if he was the Captain of a mostly magical crew, it would only make sense. So what was it? Some kind of explosion magic? That would be rather dangerous and powerful at the same time. She glanced down at his sleeping face.

Lucy wanted to know. She wanted to know about him more, about all these mysterious that surrounded him. Not only him, but she wanted to know more about the crew and magic. It made her happy to know that she would get more time with everyone.

Though, with everything so hectic like this would she ever get the chance? Would little traumatic stories be part of everyday life like this? Like Conner's? She bit her lip when she thought about it. Poor Conner. What had his last moments been like? What had his life been like?

He was too young to die; Conner had an interesting life ahead of him. His eyes were vibrant and his smile was infectious. He was a child that loved adventure and that was what Lucy had discovered from only talking with him for a short amount of time. She thought Conner was like a child version of Natsu in a way.

What adventures had those doctors taken away from him?

It just wasn't fair.

She was in such a daze she didn't notice that help had already come until the weight on her shoulders lessened. Startled she looked over and saw a fellow crew member.

He was one of the best looking in the entire crew, with an unusual green hair colour. What was his name again? Freed?

"Freed?" The name escaped her lips before she could catch it.

"I was informed of what happened by Happy, I was one of the few still left on board when he arrived." the guy nodded at the cat in front of him that had regained walking.

Lucy nodded in response for lack of words. There was nothing to say really. They continue on, sharing the weight of their Captain in silence for a while.

"I'm glad to hear you two are cured. It was becoming boring on the ship without Natsu's antics." Freed spoke, still staring straight ahead.

"Yeah..." Lucy smiled. Hopefully it would go back to that once Natsu woke up. She had only seen a brief time of it but she had enjoyed it when it had lasted.

It was almost awkwardly quiet between the two for a while as they made their way back to the docks.

Lucy was tempted to ask about Natsu's magic, though she knew it wouldn't be appropriate considering there were so many people nearby. It would just end up being problematic.

So instead she stared straight ahead and chewed on the side of her lip. Watching as the little blue cat got some weird looks too as it waddled by in complete confidence.

She couldn't help but smile at it.

What a peculiar group they made. The girls would swoon over Freed, guys and women alike would grimance at her, Natsu got concerned or confused looks. Happy in general got strange looks; confusion between thinking the cat was odd or adorable.

Lucy understood that completely, what if they knew the cat could fly and talk?

Her foot thudded against wood. Apparently they had made it back to the docks. Freed continued to help her until they reached the Captain's quarters. Then he politely excused himself. Lucy thanked him of course before he took his leave. Then she opened the door and shoved her way through the clothes on the floor.

Happy trotted in after her silently closing the door behind him with his tail. She managed her way to his bed and plopped down on it, rolling Natsu so he was completely on the bed she sat next to him. Lucy was exhausted, her body was tired and she had just carried Natsu all the way home, it was no small feat.

Happy hopped up on the bed, looking over at Lucy. For a few moments she returned the stare, then she lifted her hand, inviting the cat onto her lap. The little cat's face lit up as it pounced into her lap and curled up.

"Thanks for earlier Happy." Lucy smiled down at the blue feline in her lap.

"Yeah. Thank you too."

"For what?"

"For bringing Natsu back." the cat stated as if it had been obvious.

"Oh, well he needed to get back to the ship somehow. He isn't really capable in the state he is in now." Lucy responded.

"No, not that way. I mean bringing him back to the way he was." Happy retorted.

She blanked. "Huh?"

"Before you came Natsu was all depressed. I think he likes you."

Lucy flushed.

"L-Likes me?" She stammered.

"Yeah, you seem to make him happy. So don't leave okay?" he nudged her hand signalling for her to pet him.

She complied still lost in her own mind. Natsu likes her? That was impossible; they had only met a matter of two days ago.

Shaking her head she realized it wasn't _love _it was just _like_. Heck she liked the guy too. That was nothing unusual; she did feel a bit of a connection with him as well.

Natsu was her first real friend.

She glanced down at his sleeping face.

Her first real friend had to be a strikingly handsome guy of course. The only type of person she had the least experience around, how was she supposed to act around him in the first place? Yet it came easiest to her. It was easy to hang out with him, to be around him.

Although most of the time they had spent together was in the same bed and being horribly sick. What would her mother say?

Still, she hadn't been lying, it was the best time she had ever had. Living in that mansion all by herself it got to the point where she had contemplated suicide.

It had been a downright nightmare to live in there without her mother.

Natsu twitched in his sleep gaining Lucy's full attention again, his face was so relaxed. She reached down and wiped the semi-dried blood off of his cheek. How had this happened? It was a clean cut, like it had been done with a scalpel, which meant it was rather clean but looked deep as well. It went right across his cheek, but had already stopped bleeding. Her hand remained on his cheek for longer than it should as she felt his normal body heat.

It was still really warm but he was better and Lucy could tell. It was such a relief.

"You liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike him." a certain cat in her lap rolled his tongue dramatically.

She withdrew her hand quickly, shocked and embarrassed at the cat's words.

For a few moments she stared down at the cat as it chuckled up at her. Then she shoved it off onto the floor.

"Ow Lucy!" Happy whined rolling around on the floor in the clothes. Eventually forgetting his worries as he found a sock to swat around.

Lucy felt the urge to clean but decided against it as she yawned and stretched her arms. She was getting sleepy.

Where were Gray, Erza and Gajeel? She had thought they had stayed to just put the fire out but they were still gone. The police were probably questioning them about what had happened.

What would they say? Probably some kind of gas leak, it was the most believable story.

Her mind wandered over to the fact she still needed some kind of clothes. Maybe she should run into town and get some more. Yet she was so tired. She looked back down to the man sleeping beside her.

Call her overprotective but Lucy didn't feel like leaving him alone right now anyway, whatever he had experienced in that room couldn't have been pleasant. He had been alone too, Lucy always hated being alone. She didn't want him to wake up alone too. Finally making up her mind she drew her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them.

She'd just sleep here until he woke up. She owed him that much.

* * *

She shivered in fear as she hid in one of the only dark corners in the ship that she could find. She was terrified but she had no other choice. The ship began to rock as it sailed away from the shore. Hugging her knees tightly she cried quietly, waiting until she was found. What was she thinking?

What would they do to her?

The blue-haired girl wiped her eyes, she was a stow-away after all.

* * *

**WOW Guys thankyou so much for reviewing! That's insane! Almost 300 reviews I'm so fricken happy, my god it takes forever to type responses to them all now! ^^' but I'm not complaining! Thankyou so much for the support guys I love you all!**

**PS OMGAWD I can't wait for the chapter tomorrow baquipdfuha;sdkfjhiwu!**

**To my lovely reviewers!**

**Heroic Panda: **hmmm...maybe but Imma go with its after Natsu because I am a psycho NaLu fan ^^ Yeah, it is sad...but...this kind of stuff happens in real life, don't worry more NaLu will cheer you up later from this depressing chappy!

**Melyora: **Teehee, why thankyou Im happy your enjoying it! Hahah, Natsu has many a owner indeed, although I don't own him...oh if I did he'd be in trouble XD

**Guest: **You know what? I did in fact know that, but I was more focused on knowing that Natsu's blood type was AB, I found that somewhere and was focused on that, Imma go hide in a corner now for forsaking science XD sorry, but maybe this time you can let it go ^^' haha, the doctors did say that they could increase the price for customers that are ignorant and don't know any better, saying that they needed the AB type and that's all they could have they could've rose the prices big time right? Instead of just having any organ, then it would presumely be cheaper. So yep, Imma go with that one. You smart cookie you good job for catching that one, I'll be on the lookout to make sure I make my science more legit XD

**Princess Happy: **Oh noooo Hope you enjoyed finding out ^^ thanks for reviewing!

**LucyLifeSmile: **haha explode of rainbows eh? Wouldn't that be an interesting way to go XD nice Natsu, be patient they'll be there, they will always come to the rescue eventually XD

**PhoenixedDragon: **Is it a TV show or something? I'm having problems finding it ^^' cause it sounds interesting :) oh ho ho your a good guesser indeed. teehee you'll see ^^...oh just wait, they'll get into more trouble for sure. mwuahah absolutely.

**XxSakuraPetalsxX: **Whooot One Piece! So good ^^ its just so funny at times, it has everything a good anime needs, except it doesn't really have romance...but oh well. hahah well, I try to update as soon as I can ^^ thankyou!

**LivingGlow: **The kids organs are already out...:( he was still open in the corner of the room and they were prepping Natsu to take his out. Sorry if that was confusing ^^'. Yay Nalu! Whooot!

**arachis1030: **Aw I'm glad it made your day that makes me uber happy! I like Gruvia too, I think Gray is such an ass though cause he knows she likes him but he doesn't do anything about it...Lyon is trying now too...so its making me wanna ship Lyon and Juvia hahah XD Oh ho ho, I will tell you that Lisanna will be playing a part later on...but it won't be what you think mwuahaha!

**GoldenRoseTanya: **Sorry I took so long ^^'

**Jays Feather: **Hahaha! Yeah that's pretty much right on the dot there XD

**KarmaHope: **Oh this is gonna be twisty and turny the whole time ^^ hope you enjoy it!

**XoxoFtoxo: **Aw thankya! Yeppers you got it! XD no worries man, hope you continue to enjioy it!

**Lemonsnaps: **Yessir we sure do! hahah couch spanking cliffy eh? hahah I like it more than nail biting XD Oh no was that side showing again...man it comes out and I don't even notice XD it has a mind of its own! Thankyou tons!

**Avga: **Oh ho ho! Good guess ^^ thankyou very much!

**Guest: **I absolutely will! Sometimes it takes me a while but I never abandon a story ^^

**LinkLover123: **Aw! No worries! I remember an author who did this for every chapter and it made me really happy, I find it makes me happy to do it too! I get to know my readers a little bit moreso and that;s just awesome! Hm...now you may have given me an idea XD I will tell you this much, that yeah other characters will be added throughout the story ^^ Thankyou very much for reviewing!

**dexter-dash: **Nooooooo no Natza! Boooo! Hahah...so not coo' man not coo' at all XD I like ErzaxJellal XD whoot! Well we don't use hair logic all the time, Igneel was red like Natsu's tattoo, he wasn't hairy. It would be hard for a fire dragon to be hairy XD ew Jelvy? that's just weird man no more please no more XD hahah booo it wasn't really what I had though it would be but oh well, he still caught her...though Gray was in the way for that too...but called that one mwuahah. What can I say I am a cruel person mwuahah! You know what? I totally typed it wrong omg, when you said that I was like OH SHIT hahah that was all my fault there, I'll make sure to keep it consistant from here on my bad ^^' the best advice I can give is to never fall behind, read everything they ask you to in the same day, take notes well and be organized as well. They say it's not a lot of memorizing but...I found it the opposite, they didn't give much homework but you have to remember a lot. Just do your best and keep up with the reading and you'll do fine ^^ I'm trying to update quick...its just reallly hard... :( and I'm currently trying to move too...to another city so its gonna SUUUCK! haha

**The Blind Demoness: **ppppppssssshhhaaaa! You make me flail in happiness! Yessir she sure is XD AW~ poor Conner...doomed from the start :( yeppers they cured him beforehand ^^ It'll be all cleared up next chapter as well ^^ teehee, honestly I still have to figure out some kinks in my story line as well so I couldn't tell you even if I wanted too XD no never annoyed I love hearing from my reviewers and the longer the review the better ^^ haha poor Lucy, she's gonna get drunk...hmmm wonder what'll happen. XD aw! Thankyou so much! GAH! Your too nice! I hope you continue to enjoy it!

**Raiking: **XD yeppers, I am a little addicted to cliffies...I try not to but sometimes...they just call to me!

**LucyDragneel3: **Hahah right nowwww! I will keep going ^^ I will finish this story don't worry, it may take some time but I will continue to update no worries ^^

**ZilverWolf: **Teehee! Thankyou for reviewing! My chappy turned out a bit different but I hope you still enjoyed it ^^

**Featherheart: **Oh and there will be many many more to come ^^

**Wasabi-kun: **Mwuahaha! I have this one chapter that's gonna be really dark coming up later...and by dark I mean scary...it's based off of one of my nightmares XD so I hope I can make it as scary as when I was dreaming it...not very fun for me but hey makes good material right? XD Hahah niiice, hop eyou continue to enjoy ^^

**Yellow: **X3!

**Mimii: **Hahah aw thankyou very much! I'll try to update sooner next time X3

**FictionXLover: **XD yaaaay! you can't hate me! XD mwuahahah! sorry it takes so long I'm gonna try to update more frequently for sure...its just hard at times, shit keeps hitting the fan maaaaannn. Aww! Thankyou so much! ^^

**The RandomGirl: **Well, I dunno if it was too awesome ^^' but I hope it'll do for now. Technically yeah AB is rare for sure ^^, you can keep organs in ice for a while to preserve them. thankyou very much ^^

**Miss Unperfect 101: **Hahah I know...I'm so evil. hahah ^^ yeah Natsu's safe...for now mwuahaha he's never really safe when I am in charge of him.

**Guest: **Hello! Glad to hear you've been reading ^^ I'm sorry for not updating very quickly at all..just busy as hell over here...mmmmmmmmayayyyyyybeee XD can't tell you yet!

**HitsuKarin LUrver: **Thankya! Yessir right on the dot. This kind of stuff happens in real life too :S messed up for sure...well right now he is fine...later...mwuahaha maaayyybbeee XD

**NewMusic098: **I love you and your reviews. Just freakin hilarious, I really enjoy reading them and reading them over just to laugh more XD thankyou so much for reviewing and making my day better! Glad you liked it, *and Lucy loves Natsu HA I knew it*

Lucy: Hey!

Me: Oh shush, you'll realize it with time...and fear and sorrow and crazy explosions.

Lucy: What kind of story are you writing!

Me: A crazy explosion one.

Lucy:...

Me: Just trust me...it'll happen

Lucy: Am I going to die?

Me: That's a possibility, but only after you confess your love to Natsu.

Lucy: Just kill me now.

Me: Nope, not how that works, I call the shots here mwuahaha suffer in love!

Lucy:...

Me:mmmmmmmmyep! Silent silence is awesome.

Thankyou again ^^

**Vatala Darkmist: **Hahah awww, poor Lucy, all her fault XD lmfao I bet your neighbours love that, random screaming. It's the best really. XD I'm too emotional too, expecially when that last chapter came out...my god I was flailing everywhere, can't wait till friday for the next one! Thankyou for reviewing and reading!

**Naluuu: **Connor is dead...yep...it's not very happy. Oh? A whore eh? Hahaha, maybe I'll do something like that for ya, maybe the crew brings one aboard for him? I will have to make Lucy jealous though...that's just a given XD thankyou very much!

**AMU-dattebyo: **oh peesshhaaaa! You totally are! OMGAWD, the last Fairy Tail chapter was amazing! I can't wait for the next one to see Natsu and Gajeel kick more ass, hopefully. AND THERE WAS NALU ON THE FIRST PAGE YAAY...Im talking about another chapter than you ^^' cause it took me so long to update hah...but she was whispering his name in her sleep...it was very cute just sayin. Ya, personal space and NAtsu just don't exist together hahah. Hope you contunue to enjoy ^^

**Guest: **Teehee ^^ thankyou! My inspiration is from my brain...which is constantly going...hey what if this happened...what about this? What would happen if THIS happened...so...I have a lot of ideas I just have to write down...and I really enjoy writing...and pirates and Fairy Tail so I just mashed them together and TADAA! Haha thankyou very much! Sorry I haven't updated in a while...

**EminaRukiax: **Hah, yeah...he's not doin much running XD but he's good! yeah...poor Connor but stuff like that happens...^^ hope you enjoyed it! Sorry I took so log updating!

**iliketosmile: **Aw! Thankyou very much! Sorry it took so long to update! I've been uber busy! But I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**XxSakuraPetalsxX: **Which One Piece movie? The new one coming out? There is so many, but depending on which one you could probably watch it...some are recaps of what happened in the manga and such, but some are side stories that probably wouldn't hurt...OMGAWD ya I did! I flail every fricken time! And there is so much implied Nalu in it it just drives me MAD! Yeah...pretty much..sorry it took me so long to update T.T I was sooo slooow!

**PARADISE.x: **XD haha future husband eh? Hell yeah! Sadistic in a good way? awesome! XD i can live with that! Thankyou very much!

**Deadmaus: **Dude...I love deadmaus...well some of there songs anyway ^^ and thankyou so much! That's very flattering^^ I shall try!

**Kyia12: **yessir they sure are! yeppers! I'm sorry I took so long to update T.T please forgive meee!

**heeeyleen: **EVIL EVIIIIILLL! And now there the big Dragon Slayer fight AHHH! SO AWESOME! I can't wait to see what happens next! O.O thankyou very much!

**Alice Harkey: **XD so sarcastic! mwuahah well, Natsu's probably okay...for noooowww XD but who knows when I'm the author right?

**Guest: **Aw! Thankyou so much!...I KNOW...DROVE ME INSANE! Well at least he was catching her too...if gray did it alone I would;ve thrown my computer XD ah shucks! Thankyou so much!

**Urusaii: **I know! Cliffies are just sooo addicting its crazy! yaaaay next chappy! ^^ haha pervy thoughts...XD hahah well...if you had the heart he'd be DEAD DUN DUN DUUUUUUUNNNN...and I think Lucy gets that part anyway...though...I'd want it too XD dammit! Yeah, which country do you live in? I'm from Canada! Whoot! I'm not sure if you are as well but...it happens everywhere, it's just sad. Thankyou so much! Aw shuuucks! your too sweet! T.T makes me wanna cry in happiness!

**datkarKatass: **Aw! thankyou so much! I'm glad you like it so far! Hope you continue to enjoy it ^^

**yahiro365: **I should've labelled this story as suspense too XD with all the cliffies I though out it would make sense. Thankyou so much! Hope you continue to enjoy ^^

**LucyAlerion: **Thankyou! Sorry it took me so long ^^'

**Lucechan: **Teehee! Thankyou so much More Nalu shall be unfolded thoughout the story for sure ^^

**Jun-Shang88: **Teehee thankyou so much! Yessir they are, he is dead T.T Hahah yeah he couldn't walk ^^ good job on that one XD

**InuWolfie: **Aw! Thankyou!. OMGAWD I love the Blue Exorcist...but I don't know it all too well, if I did it would be Shiemi x Rin...cause I totally support that pairing XD Thankyou very much!

**Skyelara: **Confused how so? YAY IMPROVEMENT! thankyou a ton! Well when a boat is rocking it isn't necessarily rocking in the direction of the open door right? XD YEP you are riiightio! Aha, touche I shall do that better, yeah they cured him beforehand, it just wouldn't make sense the other way. Thankyou so much!

**Angel-Wings Naya: **Thankya! I hate needles too! Aw! Thankyou so much I'm glad you think so!

**Sara: **Hahah nooo dun be nervous!Sorry it took me so long to update ^^' soo busyyy T.T

**KitKatbaby: **XD yeppers more Nalu on the waaayy!

**sukigracie: **Oh? Well welcome to fanfiction!...well the reading part of it anyway ^^ what made you read this one first? That's very flattering and I'm glad you like it ^^ haha yep there will be flashbacks no worries ^^ YES I KNOW! UGH...I don't like the fact she is back at all Oh lord, no he totally wouldn't...if he did I would throw the laptop across the room...stupid...bah!...haha anyyywaaayy thankyou for reviewing!\

**Keeta2244: **Haha thankyou very much! sorry for taking forever to update!

**Lucechan: **Hahah, I'm sorry! XD here you gooo!

**Paridise.x: **Ooooh hahah okay okay I updated XD thankya a ton! ^^

**NatsuXLucyForever: **Hah sorry for the long wait on the update but I thankyou for reading and for the nice review ^^ I'm glad your liking it so far! Hope you continue to enjoy ^^


	9. New Developments

**Hey guys, sorry about the huge wait on this one but you know how it is...it gets chaotic around my house a lot of the time. Hahah, sooo I have one change I need to tell you guys about that has been brought to my attention I think dexter-dash was the first one to mention it.**

**IMPORTANT:**

**The fact that I named the ship Fairy Tail and the crew The Dragons, I think I am going to switch it. Ever since they mentioned it I've been thinking about it and I agree that I like it more so it is now swtiched!**

**They are now The Fairy Tail Pirates and their boat is called The Dragon.**

**I like that more so thankyou dexter-dash I agree with you.**

**Now that that is done please enjoy another chappy!**

* * *

Lucy woke up slowly, enjoying as the boat rocked slightly, as if coaxing her to stay asleep. She felt rather well rested as her eyes slowly opened. Natsu was lying beside her, in the same position she had laid him down in. He was still sleeping, though now his eyebrows were stitched together as he did so. Sometime along the way she had slid down and slept on her back beside him from her curled up spot on the bed. For a while she enjoyed the calmness of the situation. There was no one screaming, no fires, no panic. Just quiet. Just Natsu sleeping away peacefully.

It was nice actually.

Natsu groaned, bringing Lucy out of her thoughts. She sat up and watched as his eyelids fluttered slightly, eventually opening a crack to squint at the ceiling.

Lucy was almost amused at how sleepy he looked, he had been drugged immensely though. It was reasonable if he was drowsy for a while after. He blinked over and over and licked his lips. Staring up at the ceiling. His eyes slid over to where she was sitting and stared at her. After a while Lucy started to become uncomfortable under his gaze. He was obviously still not fully awake but it made her uncomfortable nonetheless. His lips were slightly parted as he stared right through her, blinking slowly. When he closed his eyes she had thought he had fallen asleep again, until he suddenly sat upright.

"W-whoa!" She squeaked, his eyes were fully open now.

He didn't seem to know where he was, he frantically looked around, his eyes scanning around her like she wasn't even there.

"Hey, Natsu! Hello?" She waved her hand in front of his face. Just a few moments ago he was staring at her, had he not seen her? That was a little offending.

"C-Conner?" were the first words he spoke, his voice rough and raspy but his eyes connected with hers now. It was enough to make her heart drop. They were wide and awake now, almost hopeful looking.

How much did he remember?

She shook her head sadly, it was all probably all still foggy to him. Lucy felt her bottom lip quiver slightly at the fact she had to retell him the news.

Then she saw Natsu do something she had never expected him to do. He drew his legs up to his chest and buried his head in his knees. Lucy was stunned by the almost vulnerable state he was showing.

"N-Natsu? Hey, are you alright?" She reached out, which wasn't a far distance because he was right beside her.

Her hand rested on his shoulder, she held it there for a while unsure of what to do exactly. She had hardly ever been comforted in her life, other than from her own mother. She wasn't exactly thinking that embracing Natsu at this time was really appropriate.

So she waited, for him to start when he needed to. It was weird seeing someone like Natsu look so...upset over something. Eventually after a few minutes of silence he turned his face so it was no longer buried in his knees, instead it was facing her. His head still resting on his knees.

He looked sad, genuinely distraught.

"I couldn't save him..." was all he said. A small inflection at the end of his words made it sound like it had been a question. But the look in his eyes said he already knew.

Lucy stared at him, confusion shown on her face clearly.

"None of us could. None of us knew what was going on; if we did he would be fine. That's just not how it happened. It's not your fault at all and it's ridiculous to think it is. No one blames you, not even Conner would have. It's the doctor's fault and theirs alone." Lucy blurted, hoping somewhere along the way he would understand what she meant.

His eyes just drifted down to the bedding, it didn't seem like what she had said made much of a difference. It was downright preposterous to think it was Natsu's fault in any way.

Why couldn't he just see it like that?

Her hand slipped from his shoulder and rested on the bed. Chewing on her lip she watched as he reached up and placed his hand on his cheek, the one with the cut on it. His fingers traced along the wound. He seemed to still be in a bit of a daze, zoned out where ever he would look.

"You...gonna be okay Natsu?" Lucy asked for lack of anything else to say.

He looked back at her and took a deep breath.

It was weird to see him like this, she had to admit she didn't like it at all. Why was he acting like this?

Something flashed in his eyes and he abruptly stood on the bed, Lucy flailed her arms trying to keep her balance. Then he blatantly stepped over her.

"Don't you know it's rude to step over people!" Lucy growled watching as he stepped clear off the bed. She thought he knew what he was doing. Until his foot touched the ground and he stumbled sideways over himself landing rather harshly on the floor. Not that it would hurt that much with all the clothes he landed on.

Startled she stood and made her way over to him, shaking her head as his arms reached every which way as he tried to steady himself on the ground.

"You were drugged pretty good, you can't expect to be back to yourself as soon as you wake up." She reached her hand out; he stared up at her and held his gaze there.

"I smell someone on board. Someone who isn't part of the crew." He stated talking her hand and pulling himself upright.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lucy asked, suddenly more aware of her surroundings. She felt Natsu begin to sway on his own and subconsciously wrapped her arm around him to steady him. It was beginning to become habit.

"Wait...did you just say you smell someone?"

Natsu ignored her, taking a step towards the door, pulling his support with him. She almost stumbled over the crap on the floor but managed to balance him to the door.

Once they were outside they got greeted loudly by the rest of the crew. Natsu did nothing but wave as he continued on his way, sniffing the air as he went.

Lucy was having a hard time believing he could smell one particular person in the whole ship so easily. Did that mean he knew every crew member's scent? That was so weird! What did he go around smelling people?

She was brought out of her thoughts as they approached the door leading to the men's quarters and the kitchen.

It was hard to balance Natsu down the stairs but he didn't slow as he pulled Lucy along. He didn't slow that is until Lucy slipped.

It was a ship, every time sea water got on board it swept across the deck and usually ended up going down the stairs. It wasn't the best design for a ship.

So when the ship rocked and water happened to be sent down the stairs Lucy could do nothing but dramatically slip.

Natsu, loosing his support fell as well.

Lucy's head whipped back as her feet flew out from under her, the back of her head connected with the wooden steps and stars flashed in her vision. She briefly saw Natsu sliding on his back down the stairs in a fit of flailing limbs. She probably didn't look much different. She stretched her arms out to steady herself but only managed to turn herself right around so she was sliding face first down the stairs, bumping her chin roughly on the steps.

Then everything suddenly halted as the two hit the bottom of the stairs, Lucy felt her elbow dig into something soft…well softer than the floor. Hearing Natsu gasp for breath she deducted it had been his stomach. The water rushed over them for a few more seconds then as fast as it had come it was gone.

Using one hand to steady herself she gripped her head. It was spinning and her chin hurt immensely. She groggily opened her eyes and looked around for Natsu to see how he was fairing. For a few seconds she didn't find him until it registered in her brain that she was on top of him.

Her eyes darted to where her hand was keeping her upright. Her fingers splayed across one of his pecks. Seriously. Was any part of this guy not pure muscle? Of course her stupid face had to heat up. Her face would always reveal what she was feeling, it was something she hoped she could work on. Not that Natsu would notice anyway. She felt his chest rise and fall quickly as he was still gasping for breath. He was a little busy trying to breath to notice her blush.

She had landed right on him. His face was rather contorted as he struggled to get the air back in his lungs that had been elbowed out of him.

"Ah! Natsu! I'm so sorry!" Lucy scrambled her words together, she was about to say more when a smile broke out on his lips.

"Ha! Ah! Hahaha!" He struggled to get enough breath in but he started to chuckle. Eventually it turned into full blown laughter.

Lucy was confused at first but joined in. They sat there on the bottom of the stairs still a tangled mess of limbs laughing. They couldn't seem to catch some kind of a break lately. They couldn't even go down stairs without failing miserably. Eventually when the laughter quieted down more Lucy climbed out of his lap, red faced that she had been sitting there for so long without noticing. Her stupid face betraying her for the second time in five minutes.

His happy expression started to turn more serious as he looked towards the kitchen door.

"They're in there..." He stated, standing up on his own. He was a little wobbly still but Lucy left him alone. They had had enough close proximity for a while if Lucy had something to say about it. He swung the door open and Lucy held her breath.

No one was there.

Guess it was somewhat stupid to expect the intruder would be standing out in the open. Natsu stepped in the room and quietly scanned the room, his eyes darting around to little nooks and crannies. There were so many places someone could be hiding. Almost immediately he walked up to a stack of boxes, signaling to Lucy that the intruder was behind them.

Lucy made a mental note to never play hide and seek with Natsu.

Before she could move he jumped over the stack of boxes and there was a shrill scream. The boxes rocked as there was a bit of a struggle.

"I'm sorry!"

Lucy recognized the voice immediately. Her thoughts were confirmed as Natsu dragged a small girl out from behind the boxes.

"Wendy?"

The girl's eyes widened as she saw the older blonde.

"Lucy! I-I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do! I didn't want to go back to the orphanage! I-I'm sorry!" The girl sobbed falling to her knees. Natsu was still holding her arms behind her back, looking somewhat confused.

"How do you know her?" He asked, still not releasing his hold.

"Natsu! She's just a little girl! Let her go!" Lucy snapped, walking up to the poor girl. "She's the reason you're still alive!"

With that Natsu dropped the girl's hands, still not moving from his spot as Lucy rushed to aid the girl.

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" he asked.

"She's the daughter of the doctors..."

Natsu's eyes flashed rather dangerously, Lucy brought the girl into a hug like she had before. She didn't know why but she felt protective of the small girl.

"They're not my real parents...they adopted me..." Wendy whispered into Lucy's embrace, calming down slowly.

"So what are you doing on my ship?" Natsu asked roughly.

Lucy shot him a look; he obviously didn't know how to talk to a young upset girl.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry for what my adoptive parents did to you guys. They weren't like that at first but the government started to raise the taxes on our town, everyone was losing their homes and belongings and sometime along the way...they snapped. Before I knew it people from the town kept dying and my friends...they were killing my friends! For organs! They killed Conner! They were so used to having lots of money that when they didn't they started doing those evil things. I couldn't stop them. I wanted to tell the police or even run away but they threatened me! They said that they'd take my organs if they thought I was even thinking about running away." She sniffled taking a shaky breath when she finished talking.

Lucy felt a pang of sympathy in her heart. What kind of parents threaten to kill their own child? It seemed all too familiar to Lucy.

"Then when you guys came...they were sent to jail. I was scared that if they got out of jail they'd come for me...then I'd be in the same spot as before. The orphanage is awful too...I just...didn't want to be there anymore." Wendy looked up at Lucy her eye's brimmed with unshed tears, Lucy wore a grim expression on her face but it was understanding nonetheless.

"Oi, what's your name again?" Natsu asked, crouching so he was more to their level now.

"W-Wendy."

"Do you know about magic Wendy?" Natsu broke into his trademark smile as the girl's eyes widened.

"U-uh...yeah...why?"

"Well, you see. This is a magical ship; lots of people on board are mages of some kind." Natsu explained.

"R-Really?" Now Wendy's eyes slid over to Lucy as if to confirm it. Lucy nodded too; the girl seemed to have an easier time accepting it than she had.

"I knew it wasn't a gas leak! You set that place on fire didn't you?" Wendy stared at Natsu wide-eyed.

"Aye, but if you're gonna be part of the crew you've gotta keep it all a secret, that's all you've gotta do, okay?" Natsu reached out and patted the top of her head.

Wendy's face was full of shock as she looked at the pink-haired mage in awe; her eyes swam in new tears.

"Y-you'd let me stay?"

Natsu nodded, Lucy smiled warmly at him.

"Sure, why not?"

"Oh! Thank-you so much! I'll do my part! I'll cook and clean and I can help heal people!" Wendy babbled on out of excitement.

"Heal? Do you know magic Wendy?" Natsu asked with an inquisitive look in his eyes. For a moment Wendy looked afraid at the slip of her tongue but it vanished quickly enough with a smile.

The girl reached out of Lucy's arms and towards Natsu. Her hand reached up and touched his cheek, her hand surrounded by a soft blue glow. Natsu's eyes shifted around somewhat awkwardly wondering exactly what the young girl was doing.

"U-Um...yeah actually...only my parents knew about it...they would sometimes threaten to hand me over to the government if I didn't behave...that's another reason I couldn't leave. If I did the government would be chasing after me." She muttered.

After a few seconds she retracted her hand and smiled brightly up at him.

Natsu reached up to his cheek, the cut he had gotten from her adoptive parent's scalpel was gone now. He stared at Lucy, matching her stunned expression. Lucy's face softened.

"Natsu, she's very smart too. She knew everything her parents did about our disease. I think she could be the new ship's doctor." Lucy chirped glowing as she smiled at the young girl.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw something flash across his face as he stood up straight, like she had struck a nerve. It was gone before she could understand what it meant.

"Oh really? Well that sounds great, come on I'll show you to the crew!" Natsu beamed at her, giving her a swift pat on her head as he waved for her to follow him. She eagerly followed leaving Lucy's embrace and giving Lucy a bright smile as she ran after him. She heard him lecturing her on how hard she would have to work; after all it was hard being a pirate.

Lucy sighed. It was nice to know that there was another female on board now.

"I can't believe she forgot about me!"

Lucy startled at the voice behind her, turning slowly she made eye contact with something behind her.

It was enough to make her screech in horror.

Another talking cat.

* * *

The rest of the evening had been spent with the crew talking to Wendy about whatever they could think about. Lots were asking her things like 'What's this rash mean?' or 'Am I gonna die from this?' Wendy was beginning to look rather exhausted by the end of it. Natsu had run off to find his cat when he saw Wendy had brought another one on board.

Happy looked rather ecstatic about the idea, especially when he saw her. Lucy thought it was obvious love at first sight...on Happy's side. Charle, the female cat, couldn't seem to care less.

Of course Charle could fly too.

Of course.

Lucy was beginning to wonder if there were any normal cats out there.

"Lucy?"

She turned at the sound of her name, seeing the armored red head standing there smiling.

"Yeah?"

"I hope you do not mind but I took the liberty to go and buy some clothes for you. After we dealt with the police I took some of the money that was supposed to help cure you and got some outfits for you." Erza smiled.

Lucy's face lit up.

"Mind? No! Thank-you so much! I'm so glad you did, I was getting tired of wearing this." Lucy gestured down to her poor excuse for clothing. Her old under-dress was ripped and torn in many places, dirty and still a little wet from this morning. "I take it the talk with the police went well?"

"Yes, I find I can be rather persuasive if I must." Erza smirked.

Lucy had a feeling she didn't really want to know what exactly Erza meant. It was somewhere between being absolutely terrifying or seductive…or a mixture of both that made Lucy shiver in fear. She was glad Erza was on their side at the very least.

"I have put your new clothes in your room. We also bolted your bed down. Sorry about not doing that earlier." Erza chuckled, waving as she turned and walked away. "By the way, my bed has been added, but since Wendy is new she can take it, I'll add another soon."

That was right; Wendy would be sleeping in the same room now. It would be nice to have some company...female company.

Shouting out another thank-you Lucy ran to her bedroom excitedly. She saw the pile of bags on her bed. Her eyes widened...Erza said she had bought some...not the whole store!

Ripping the first bag out excitedly she sweat dropped. It was armor. Were all of the bags filled with armor? Lucy couldn't do that! It looks ridiculously heavy! Scared to see the contents of the next bag she peeked cautiously over the top. It was pink and frilly. Definitely not armor. Lucy picked it up from the bag, it was a mini skirt. Quickly she tried it on, it fit snugly. It was the shortest thing Lucy had ever worn before, showing off all of her legs. Honestly Lucy loved it, the feeling she got from wearing it. It was like she was rebellious just for wearing it.

She kept searching in all the bags, lots of tank tops. Something else she was never allowed to wear in her previous life. It showed a lot of cleavage and for some reason Lucy got some kind of a high from these clothes. Never before had clothes been so fun. She found heels to match a lot of her clothes but her favourite were these black boots with a bit of a heel on them.

Not only had Erza bought her clothes but also feminine products, hair elastics, hair brushes, toothbrushes, anything Lucy would need. She would have to give Erza a big hug for this. Even if she had bought her three sets of armor.

Apparently the bath tub had been installed and Lucy jumped at the chance to have a bath.

Hot water was something that seemed foreign to her now. She relaxed in the bath for a while, hearing Charle and Wendy chatting away on the opposite side of the door as they settled in.

After Lucy was done she did her hair, in a side ponytail. Something else that had been considered unacceptable for her to do. She brushed her teeth and got dressed in her new clothes. Lucy dressed herself up for no particular reason, just for the hell of it.

Then she stepped out of the bathroom.

"Wow! Lucy you look so pretty!" Wendy exclaimed seeing the blonde, even Charle nodded in agreement.

Lucy had decided on the black boots (of course), a pink mini skirt and a white tank top. The tank top had a pretty lace at the top and bottom. She even tied a pink ribbon in her hair, around the side pony tail.

She thanked Wendy and sat down and had a small talk with the girl for a while about nothing in particular. Lucy found out that Wendy had ran away during the chaos in the hospital and had managed to follow Lucy back to the ship. She had snuck on and hid where she could after that, until Natsu had found her. Wendy even fixed up the remnants of Lucy's sore ankle. Up until now Lucy had all but forgotten about it, it had only just been a little sore. Now she couldn't even tell a dog had bitten her there. Wendy begun to look tired so Lucy left to let her sleep, Lucy wasn't ready to sleep yet. She wanted to walk around on the deck a little and get used to having new clothes. Dare she say she wanted to flaunt them.

The crew was full of good looking guys, she was curious to see if they would have a reaction at all.

Compared to what she had looked like before this was something else entirely.

So out she stepped onto the deck.

Most of the crew had gone downstairs to sleep, the moon was high in the sky now and the stars twinkled along beside it. It was peaceful, some crew members were shouting and obviously rather drunk as they laughed obnoxiously. That was something Lucy would have to try as well. She'd get drunk, because she could. Why the hell not? She had never been before. Maybe not tonight though, she was beginning to get tired. She needed a good night's rest.

"Oh, look at bunny girl!" She heard a rough voice call out, belonging to Gajeel.

"Bunny girl?" Lucy looked around realizing it had been directed at her. "Why the hell am I bunny girl!" She shouted to no one in particular.

Gajeel's voice drew attention to her, the laughter and hollering soon turned to cat calls and whistling. Lucy knew the crew better by now and they meant no harm. She waved them off as she walked by heading towards the railing to look over the ocean. Enjoying every minute of it.

"Lookin' good Lucy!" She heard one of the crew members shout out behind her, she chuckled at them.

Not to be vain but she thought she did too. She had to ignore one of Elfman's comments about how manly she looked…she knew he meant well. Probably.

"Lucy! Where?"

Natsu's voice sounded above the others as he tried to figure out where she was.

Ignoring the yelps and shouts coming from the crew members as he fought his way through the small crowd she managed to get to the railing and rest her elbows on it. She rubbed her sore chin absentmindedly as she stared at the water.

There was a loud thud behind her and Lucy turned to see Natsu picking himself off the floor. Apparently he had gotten out of the mess of drunken people now. Still kneeling on the floor his head whipped around looking for her.

Why was he always so excited to see her? It was almost flattering. Lucy waited quietly for his eyes or nose to find her. It didn't take very long before his eyes connected with hers. Then his mouth dropped open. Whatever he had been chewing on fell onto the deck of the ship.

Lucy would have been disgusted if the scene wasn't so hilarious.

So if a pretty whore walks onto a ship he acts all cool but if it's just a pretty girl his mouth drops open. What an unusual guy. Of course he had to say something and ruin it.

"Are you trying to kill yourself! Don't stand near the railing, what if an Kiseichuu jumps up again and you touch it." He started, getting up and trotting over to her.

Of course he wasn't amazed by her looks; he was stunned she was standing near the railing again. Or...he was good at covering up his reactions.

Deciding not to put herself down she went with the latter.

"As if I would touch one again! Or anything out of the ocean ever again! Did you see how much of a problem I caused the whole crew! I almost got you killed too." Lucy sounded turning around to look at the water again in annoyance.

"No I didn't see how much of a problem you caused the crew cause you didn't cause one. It was just another adventure really. If you hadn't have done that we wouldn't have gotten Wendy aboard either. A lot of people were saved because of you. Plus it would take a lot more than that to kill me." he leaned against the railing beside her making sure to flash her a toothy grin.

Lucy couldn't help but smile at his words.

"I see you're back to normal." Lucy quirked seeing him look at her from the corner of his eye.

"Hm? I'm always normal." He stated.

Lucy couldn't help but laugh loudly at his words.

Yeah, normal. Lucy was pretty sure he didn't even know the definition of the word.

"I guess...in a way it worked out. We did gain a doctor...but in return the world lost a brave little boy." Lucy glared at the water resting her chin on her hands, her elbows back on the railing. Natsu was quiet beside her; she couldn't resist peeking over at him. He looked serious, his eyes dark and staring at the water. His face let no emotion through. There he was again, serious Natsu. Thankfully she had begun to see less and less of him lately. She liked when he was more loud and obnoxious. It seemed more…_him._

"So what magic do you have? Are you some kind of explosion mage? Or maybe you just had some fire crackers in your pocket?" Lucy piped up deciding to change the subject; she didn't like seeing Natsu like this.

"Ha! Something like that." He turned to look at her once again, his face completely different. Completely Natsu.

"What so you're not going to tell me what kind of a mage you are?" Lucy scoffed at him, she was really quite curious.

"You'll find out when the time is right." Natsu smirked at her.

"What? How many times will I get to see you use magic? It's not exactly legal no is it! And what's with that line you sound like some old wise guy from a story book." Lucy fumed.

She almost combusted into flames herself when he reached out and ruffled her hair. It wasn't a pat. It was a downright ruffle. Her hair which she had perfected in the bathroom was now a frizzy mess.

He even had the nerve to chuckle at her when she made a shocked expression over her hair.

"You should probably go to bed, we've got a busy day tomorrow of training. You're gonna need your rest, you'll be needing lots of energy tomorrow now that your ankle is all healed up. Oh and...maybe wear something more appropriate for battle tomorrow."

Lucy blushed as she looked down at herself, that was a reasonable request except...Erza hadn't really bought her much variety. All her bottom pieces were mini skirts of some kind, maybe she overlooked some pants in there somewhere. If not she would be flashing some people tomorrow.

She nodded meekly and turned to go back to her room feeling his gaze on her as she left.

"You look nice."

Lucy turned around.

"What?"

"I...I-uh said goodnight." Natsu suddenly nodded, looking like he was trying to convince himself more so than her. He quickly turned back to the ocean to watch it's waves.

Lucy couldn't help but smile widely at the man's back before her.

"Goodnight to you too."

With that she walked back through the hoots and hollers to her bedroom with her new roommates Wendy and Charle.

* * *

Charle sat upright in Wendy's arms, she had had trouble falling asleep. She had gone into some sort of a daze for a while but what she had seen had startled her.

Charle was not confused about her gift but she was always worried about sharing it since it her visions could often be read wrong. She would only get little glimpses into the future, she couldn't control it whatsoever. That and sometimes she just didn't want to believe it was true. In this case it was the latter.

This time the vision was clear.

It was of a boat sinking and fast, but not just any boat. An old wooden ship with the carvings of '_The Dragon' _on the side. The water on the bottom of the ship was rippling violently, small wood pieces flew off in different directions, the wood continued to splinter as it was ripped apart by unseen sources. It was sinking quickly, people were jumping from the ship's railings into the water. Natsu's voice sounded loudly, yelling orders and for people to jump ship. Everyone was shouting, some screaming out in anger.

Lucy's face flashed across her mind, she had looked terrified as she looked around for someone drastically. Her hair whipping around in the wind as she stood on top of the railing preparing to jump off, her footing began to slip.

Before she could see what would become of Lucy the vision had ended.

Her vision, she didn't want to believe.

The ship they were on was going to sink.

* * *

**And there we have it another cliffy sorta, future coming cliffy.**

**Damn I had to include Charle cause seriously she is the queen when it comes to cliffies, I can make her see anything and have you guys guessing WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON  
**

**Mwuahaha I love it!  
**

**So may I say wholey jesus at all the reviews I'm getting. Seriously guys. You all so damn awesome.  
**

**But..how the hell am I going to write responses to each of them.  
**

**This takes longer than writing the actual story XD but I love all you guys so much that I just have to write responses to you. You took the time to comment so Imma take the time to respond back.  
**

**Love you guys so much thankyou for all the nice feedback!**

**To my reviewers:**

**That Punk Rock Chick: **Why thankyou! Hmm…well I can`t spoil it for any of you so Imma havta keep it a secret for now ;) Hahah, nah I agree with you. I think, especially lately that Lucy is underrated and considered weak although she can do so much more than what is shown! So don`t worry too much ;) thanks for reviewing!

**Falala: **yaaay! Hahah well Wendy climbed aboard to escapee! Yaaaay! Ahh thankyou I`m glad you liked it, sometimes I take a while to update but I hope its worth the wait! ?

**Idreamoflife: **Hahah aw, I`m glad. I always hate seeing someone`s story I`ve been waiting forever for and they updated like…a few paragraphs…its enough to make me want to cry. Seriously. This story could potentially go on…forever…I`m pretty sure it`s gonna be the longest fanfiction…ever…dear lord…haha hope you enjoy it!

**Princess Happy: **Yessir! He sure did, cause he`s just a big softy at heart isn`t he? ^^ glad you like it!

**Kyia12: **yay! I updated again ^^ whoop noppers it's Wendy! She snuck on mwuahah! Thankyou for reviewing!

**Arashic1030: **Wendy is just huggable…but I think Natsu is too… they aren't! They adopted herrrr! You'll find out even more later ;)

**GoldenroseTanya: **Thankyou! I`m glad you looove it ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**Footster26: **Yaay! Haha I love One Piece…it's my other favourite for sure! Thankyou! Yep, I agree, she needs more clothes haah she got some nice skirts ;) thankyou for reviewing!

**Ollyssa: **GAH! Your natsulucylove…I love you, I saw your new post too hahah you make me so happy when you do that you have no idea! Aw shucks! Thankyou so much!

**MelodyKey: **well look at that, you guessed it right on XD great job!

**Guest: **Haha sorry for making you wait forever ^^' I try my best to update as soon as possible. Hah, if I told you it would spoil the plot ;) but you'll see soon! I do like GaLe though…mwuahaha! Thaknyou for reviewing!

**Lucechan: **Aw! Thaknyou so much!I'm glad your enjoying that makes me happy! Thankyou for reviewing!

**HitsugayaYuki11: **Teehee, thankyou I'm glad you like it ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**Senbei x Cup Ramen: ** sorry you got depressed but I was meaning to bring in the idea that people can and will die in this story. It makes you all worried about other people right? Teehee, it's all good he's okai now ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**XxSakuraPetalsxX: **Teehee ^^ thanks I'm glad you think so! Yep! Well One Piece would be a lot different with romance…Luffy just isn't romantic at all…or seem like he knows any of that stuff XD but yeah LuNa is my favourite pairing from there I know! Well I think they go with LuNa for them but it's the same XD it's like its meant to be! Ugh…don't remind me…school is gonna suuuck this year XD! But thankyou for reading I hope you still find the chance to read ^^

**NewMusic098: **Lmao you're reviews always make me forget I'm reading a review! Haha I got all excited and giggley.

Me: You should definetly do that in the story Natsu.

Natsu: Do what? Snuggle Lucy?

Me: Yeah, but then continue.

Natsu: Huh? What happens after snuggling?

Me: Well you see you get naked and then-

Lucy: DON'T GIVE HIM ANY IDEAS!

Natsu: Get naked?

Lucy: Shit. Now he has the idea we are supposed to get naked, thanks a lot.

Me: Oh my pleasure. I shall enjoy this.

Lucy: *blushes* What? Are you some kind of pervert?

Me: Hey. Probably. When it comes down to you two together…most likely yes.

Lucy: *Mouth drops open*

Natsu: …what happens after you get naked?

Me: Aw, Natsu you are genuinely interested?

Lucy: STOP THIS NOW!

Me: You're right. Ask Lucy to demonstrate. *devil eyes*

Natsu: Oh, okay. *Goes to pull Lucy's shirt off*

Lucy: No! What the hell are you doing!

Natsu: Well, we have to be naked for this right?

Lucy: No! We aren't doing this! *Seeing Natsu taking his vest off* STOP THAT!

Oh my, I think I took that too far XD hahah I get so distracted writing responses to reviews especially yours. Its just too fun! Thankyou so much for reviewing!

**Lemonsnaps:**Teehee, Erza and Gray have no problem dealing with authorities. They are good at getting around them and lying XD. Mwuahaha I bring the thunderstorms! Mwuahah! Nah I enjoyed your review ^^

**Link Lover123: **haha aw well your all my 300th reviewer to me ^^ try for 400! That;s insane how many reviews I'm getting…just awesome. Teehee I'm glad you think so !

**StarlightAngel26: **Of course I'll keep going ^^ teehee I dunno if they will kiss soon but THEY NEED TO IN THE MANGA. Like come on, Hiro give us something! XD thankyou for reviewing!

**Alice Harkey: **Hahah, your mother's boyfriend just doesn't understand XD I get that a lot too…sometimes when I think of something to write in my story I giggle uncontrollably…I get weird looks too

**LucyLifeSmile: **Teehee and so it begins XD Aww, sorry…it definetly didn't go up but I hope you didn't wait too too long! Thankyou so much!

**Yahiro365: **Aw Thankyou so much! I shall do my best ^^

**NatsuXLucyForever: **Aw shucks! I'm glad you think so! Of course I would! ^^ OMGAWD YEAH I AM! HJSDFLASGFA! I am so excited to see it I just…can't wait…I just can't…I have to forget about it on a regular basis to even function…yeah…I am excited! Aw, thankyou so much ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**PARADISE.x: **I would be so disappointed if there was never some clear indication of NALU! Hahah, well Imma have lots of little stories throughout this so don't worry ;) shit will hit the fan ohn a regular basis XD thankyou for reviewing!

**LivingGlow: **Thankyou! Loving you for reviewing!

**SkullMate:** Aw! Thankyou! Really? That's awesome! Haha lmfao that's hilarious! Thankyou for reviewing!

**Jun-Shang88: **Aw thankyou so much ^^ Yay Wendy is part of the crew now! Thankya a ton glad you do ^^

**PhoenixedDragon:** Teehee well, maybe not all out…or the building would be gone XD Yeah, I like Happy and Lucy's relationship, it just needs to be there for sure. WAIT. YA I know those movies XD hahah yeah I like those movies for sure! I used to watch them all the time ^^' haha just clicked in my memory! Eyah I remember only watching the first 2, they were good!

Heeeyleen: well, Wendy had to sneak away before she was caught by the guards, they would've put her in the orphanage right? They couldn't let her go with some strangers, it was the only thing she could do T.T Yeah I hope Minerva gets her ass handed to her! Thankyouuuuu!

**TheRandomGirl: **Oh there will be lots of Natsu action later on…actually coming up soon XD teehee. YESH SHE WILL! Thankyou for reviewing!

**Naluforeva:** aw thankya! Yesh she isssss! Thankyou so much! ^^

**EminaRukiax:** Aw Thankyou! Yeppers she sure is! Yeah she is eh ^^ Well Charle is there! Thankyou so much ^^

**Joker07: **Yeah, poor Conner… hahah well Natsu tends to be slow but yeah I agree that is really cute ^^ maybe I'll write a short story with Natsu like that ^^ hahah well there may be some cliché moments…I'll try my best to be original but…you never know what may come out cliché hahah ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**Amu-dattebyo: **Aww, yeah Lucy is kinda a mother figure, we'll see what happens ^^ I find that Gray is a very important character too teehe! there's no chapter for like 3 weeks…kill me now.

**Heroic Panda: **Mwuahah yeah that's kinda what I was going for. People die. Its sad but it happens, so now you will all live in fear of who I will kill off…just ilke what Hiro did…that bastard. Hahah. YESH no rainbows here…most of the time hahah. Teehee ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**Sara: **Hahah thankyou so much! Haaaa, I should update more but Im so busy all the time ^^' hahah yeah Lucy has sadly been wearing it the whole time, not anymore though!

**The Hybrid Monkey: ** Hahah aren't you curious, sorry to disappoint you but I can't tell ya anything yet ;)

**Lectori Salutem: **Haha lmao, well, I shall try to do my best at making it scientifically sound! Yeah I found it somewhere online that he was…dunno if it's true but yeaaaaah teehee thankya for reviewing!

** . .Sakura: **aww thankya! Yesh it shall be alright! Teehee….maybe you'll see ^^ hahah yeah! Thankyou for reviewing!

**Kakomine: **Thankya! Right meow!

**Ankita: **Hahah your funny, I'm glad you've been liking it so far. I plan to write a lot so don't expect them together for a while now. I update as soon as I possibly can. Im a busy university student so sometimes its really hard so bear with me for the most part. I do like to give some tension because it keeps the readers interested ^^ I will try to update soon again so hold on and I hope you continue to enjoy!

**FictionXLover: **hahahawww don't cry!hahah aww, just wait and see what I've planned…I hope I can write scary stuff…I plan on having lots of it but I have no idea if I can write it ^^ haha thankyou so much I really appreciate it!

**Loula: **Haha your very welcome! Hahah thankyou so much I'm glad you can read it well that makes me happy to see that, I try not to make it complicated and rather straightforward ^^ awww your so nice! Thankyou so much! I love long reviews! Talk all you want! I shall thankyou!

**People of the Arts: **Of course I shall! Thankyou! ^^

**Dmayflower: **AW! You made me flail! Thankyou so much I'm honoured to be inspiration that's so awesome! Thankyou soooo muuuuucch!

**Iliketosmile: **Hahah thankya! ^^ hope you continue to enjoy!

**Vatala Darkmist: **Hahah aww, yeah no one can hate Wendy…in a way I found her annoying at first but now I just love her to bits. Thankyou very much!

**HiiroKumo: **Aw thanyou! I'm glad you think so! I shall try my best ^^

**Never again 10: **Not telling! Mwuahahah! Thanyou!

**Kari-Fairytail: **O_o don't get angry! O.o or die for that matter hahah sorry it took so long T.T hope your still hangning on there!

**Sukigracie: **hhah lmao, your welcome I'm glad I can fulfill your needs in life! ^^ I kinda picture Happy a bit smaller too actually ^^' dunno why. Um. Yes. Jealous Natsu is awesome. So just possibly there will be some. Who am I kidding there will be XD thankyou for reviewing!

**ZilverWolf: **Thankyou very much! I shall try! ^^

**Nekko: **Why thankya! One of my favourite authors replies to reviews and it made me so happy to be able to talk to her even that I promised myself I would from now on….it takes forever but its really fun! Its just hard when you start getting fricken over 60 reviews for a chapter XD love them all but hot damn it takes a while ^^ Lmfao…well…I may do that…I just don't know HOW! Hahah I have this one shot half written…that I think some people might really enjoy…I'll post it soon hopefully…teehee ^^ thankyou for reviewing!

**Angel-Wings Naya: **thankya! There was more of Wendy ^^ she's in the crewwww Thankyou for reviewing!

**MissMe2306: **Their hands? The swelling went down and back to normaaaaaal yaaaay! ^^ ahah she doesn't have her whipe quite yet ^^ thankyou for reviewinggg!

**xAnimeLuv: **Hahah don't worry it'll get better and there's a reason to why I did that…you'll see mwuahaha! Aw shucks, thankyou so much! I'm happy to hear all that! Hope you continue to enjoy ^^

**kawaiighurl018: **your one of the few who can patiently wait XD thankyou for not yelling at me to update XD \

**girlFragola: **THANKYOU! I LOVE YOU FOR REVIEWING! ^^ Hope you continue to enjoy!

**MissWizz: **RIGHT MEOOOOWWWW! Thankyou very much ^^


	10. Down With The Ship

**OMGGG sooo looong. Sorry for such a long wait, University is just murdering me. BUT I made this one pretty long so no worries.**

**UMMM latest chapter had lots of Nalu in it I'm glad to say, like woooow. Can't wait to see what happens.  
**

**Here is my theory of what is gonna happen!  
**

**Spoiler alert: Well, possibly I dunno if I'm right or not. SO. I think the hooded girl is Lucy from the future. Hear me out, we know that the door can be opened every 400 years? Sorry if I'm getting any facts wrong haha. So something is obviously going to go seriously wrong and people are going to die, including Natsu. That's gonna be awful to say the least. Lucy being one of the ones left goes into the celestial realm. stays there for 400 years, as you know time travels a lot faster in there than it does in the real world, then she uses the door to go back 400 years to save everyone.  
**

**Honestly there is so many flaws in that it isn't even funny but...still...just a random theory. They had to mention the fact that time flows differently in the celestial realm AGAIN and it seemed like a random shout out from Hiro like...hey guys remember this fact? yeah you should cause it's important.  
**

**HE GIVES US HINTS I SWEAR...anyway, hope you enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or anything associated with it, really the only thing I actually own is myself and my clothes LOL.  
**

**Here you gooo~~~  
**

* * *

"Keep the tip of your sword up."

Lucy was glad her hand and ankle were back to normal. Well, in a way she was courtesy of Wendy of course. Now she didn't have anything to use as an excuse to not have to spar with Natsu. It was really hard work. That and she didn't have any pants. Just miniskirts. Now to think about it that was all she had seen Erza wear as well, that and her armor top. A combination that shouldn't make sense let alone look good, but Erza, of course, pulled it off so well.

Lucy was pretty sure there was a crowd behind her just waiting for the right opportunity, the right gust of wind. Perverts. Sighing internally she weighed her sword and stared down her opponent, Natsu.

His lips were pulled into a constant smirk and his eyes held a somewhat dangerous glint to them. If it had been anyone else Lucy would have been slightly scared. Natsu was somewhat intimidating. Especially when he was wearing his toque. The pink hair made him seem less so. Honestly…it was such a girly color it was hard to take him so seriously. Maybe that was part of his battle strategy.

He launched at her and she hadn't expected it. She brought the sword up in a mad flail managing to deflect Natsu's sword somehow.

"Good! Those reactions are good to have. Sometimes enemies will attack you with what looks like no warning." He laughed over to her. Although she had blocked his attack she had let out a little 'eep' that would have made anyone chuckle.

"I still don't know why you are teaching me all this! Someone should always be around to protect me, if not then why wouldn't I just use my gun?" She yelled back at him as he got into another stance. The only gun she had was in her room, forsaken in her drawer. "I should be practicing with that!"

"Because unexpected things happen and there will probably be a time when you have nothing but a sword. You have to build up the skills you don't have first." He countered, lunging again.

Angrily she shoved her sword forwards, the shock wave from the clashing swords made her teeth chatter and slam together painfully.

"Keep your mouth shut too, you don't want to be biting off your tongue in the middle of a battle." Natsu observed her painful face. Enraged that he had noticed such a small detail she used all her strength and pushed him away. It only succeeded in making him take a small step back. Not two, just one. That made Lucy feel downright weak.

"If all else fails and you find yourself up against a swordsman that is of greater skill than yourself, step into their swing." Natsu ignored the blatant shock on Lucy's face and continued. "Momentum is a big part of sword fighting, if you step into their swing the sword hasn't gained much momentum and is a weaker blow."

Lucy stared at him.

"That makes sense and all but who in their right mind would step towards an enemy during a fight? I don't think I would have enough willpower to." Lucy confessed.

"You'd be surprised what kind of things you can do, especially in the heat of battle."

"How many battles have you been in? It sounds like you've been fighting in them your whole life." Lucy lunged this time, hoping to catch him off guard. His arm swept his sword around quickly, the tip of her blade abruptly getting stopped by the flat of his own. He leaned over the scratching blades so she could hear him.

"A princess like yourself wouldn't be able to even begin to imagine the life many children are thrown into."

Was it just her or did his words come out rather distasteful?

"A princess like me understands a lot more than you think and if you keep treating her like a princess she's gonna kick your ass." Lucy scoffed shoving her sword forwards, hearing a satisfying screech as her sword left a deep scratch along his.

"Don't let anger fuel too much of your fighting or you could become sloppy. You've got a long way to go before you can even begin to think you can kick my ass." With that he turned his sword allowing hers to continue on. Sidestepping he narrowly dodged her sword and took another step towards her his arm pushing her sword down. His sword now trapping hers to the ground, not allowing her to bring it back up.

Another flash distracted her as one of his hands came off his sword. A small blade, much like the one her father had carried was now getting held to her throat. Lucy didn't move, didn't even dare to breathe as the cool metal touched her skin. Natsu's face loomed over hers.

"Don't get too cocky now. You've still got a long way to go, but with me as a mentor you'll get there. Here's one more tip for today, always have a backup plan. A little knife, or pistol concealed on yourself in a hidden spot. That's enough for today." With that the blade dropped from its spot on her neck.

_She _was the one being cocky? Natsu was one of the most cocky people she knew! The way he released her and sauntered away made her so angry she could scream. Instead she just threw the sword to the ground and stalked away ignoring the upset noises that came from the crowd that had hoped to get a flash of panties. She was proud to say she had handled fighting in a mini skirt rather well. Maybe she would continue it. Lucy could probably use that as an advantage in battle too.

What she wanted was her gun. Then she could out shoot Natsu and be his mentor. She would act all cocky and high and mighty and he wouldn't be able to do a single thing about it! They didn't have many guns on board, they had been kind enough to give her one of the best ones they had. Guns were expensive.

Glaring at the ocean she ignored all other people around her. Her father had always done things to piss her off but this was nothing. Why was she so angry when Natsu did things like that? She absolutely hated it when he called her princess in the derogatory way he did. In that stupid condescending voice. He had no idea what her life had been like! Even if it was just to get her angry in battle to prove a point it was annoying as hell.

Though he hadn't done it for a while, she thought he was over it but apparently not. Maybe he just enjoyed teasing her, she would have to come up with a nickname for him too, one he hated. Grey and him seemed to not get along too well, maybe she would ask him.

Or Lucy would just have to show him she wasn't a princess. Somehow. She was sure she would be able to eventually.

Boy, she couldn't wait for that moment. Letting out a long sigh she walked back to her quarters. Wendy and Charle were sitting on their bed talking. Lucy was pretty sure that Wendy felt most comfortable in here, it was a lot quieter and less rowdy then outside that was for sure.

"Hey Wendy." Lucy smiled, closing the door behind her. The small girl smiled up at Lucy in response, busy reading some kind of book.

"What are you reading?" curiosity was getting the best of her already.

"A medical book. This one is mostly about remedies from poisonous sea creatures, and some inland ones. It's actually somewhat frightening what is out there. I hope to get some more books on some of these." Wendy turned a page, her one hand silently petting the cat beside her.

"Frightening? Like what?"

Lucy didn't really want to know but the words already escaped before she could stop them.

"Well there's tiger wolves, sawfish, werewolves, gargoyles, trolls, sirens and that's just to name a few. Some species are poisonous and others aren't…its hard to tell the difference between the two a lot of the time. The way these islands are charted it doesn't warn you very much of what is even out there. Any map I've come across is just showing the geography of the island. No notes of what is actually populating the island. It worries me. We have to stop on islands often for food or supplies. We have no idea what we are getting into." Wendy sighed closing the book and looking up at Lucy.

"Wait…those things you just listed. They are actually real? Are you kidding? You've got to be kidding. Those things are from children's books designed to give them a little fright." Lucy stammered, unwilling to believe it herself.

"Well, magic exists. Why not monsters? Dragons exist too." Wendy nodded sadly. "Though they've been missing for a while."

"Hm. Erza was telling me about dragon slayers and dragons, about the Great War. But dragons are extinct aren't they?" Lucy asked, finding a spot beside the younger girl.

"No. I'm positive that they are just hiding now. If I was a dragon I would want to hide too. This world isn't a place for magic and especially not dragons."

"You seem to know a lot about dragons Wendy." Lucy smiled down at the girl, giving her a small pat on the head.

"Mm. Hey Lucy can I tell you a secret?" Her big brown eyes bore into Lucy's.

How could Lucy resist anything the girl asked of her.

"Of course. Anything."

"Well…it's a really big secret that not many people know. Dragon slayers are actually raised by dragons and during that time the dragons teach them their powers. Before the doctors took me in I had wandered alone…but before that I was being raised…by a dragon. That was, before she disappeared."

Lucy blinked. Once. Twice. It didn't seem to be sinking in at all.

"Huh?"

"Her name was Grandeeney and she taught me dragon slayer magic, I'm a sky dragon slayer."

Lucy coughed, choking on air.

"What? Really?" She spat out. If she recalled right Erza had said that dragon slayers were to be feared, they were very powerful. Dragon slayers were said to be one of the most powerful of all the wizards.

This little shy girl in front of her was one of the most powerful wizards? She was so shy and quiet and kind, she couldn't see the ferocious power of a dragon coming from her at all.

"Um…yeah. Grandeeney had begun to teach me healing magic too. Then she disappeared. I know that the dragons are still out there. I think if we can find them we can convince them to help us! Natsu kept talking about overrunning the government. I want to help! I think if we can find the dragons we can actually do it!" Wendy nodded enthusiastically.

"That would escalate to a war Wendy. What about the Akeirein? Couldn't they just wipe out the dragons and you? It'd be the Great War all over again!" Lucy couldn't believe it but something sparked inside of her, the possibility of actually overpowering the government would be possible, if they could even find the dragons.

"We know better this time! We can build up our defense better, the Akeirein were a surprise to us last time. Now that we know we are at an advantage." Wendy seemed rather excited about the plan.

"Yes Wendy, but your just one dragon slayer, we are going to need more than one of you."

"I'm sure that there is at least one more dragon slayer on board here Lucy. But, it seems like no one is willing to talk about it. It's some kind of unspoken agreement to not even speak about it at all. Probably out of fear someone will hear. The government is relentless when it comes down to us." Wendy finished.

"I don't know Wendy. I've barely seen anyone use magic at all. It sounds like a great idea but we would have to know where the dragons are. We have no idea."

The girls excitement seemed to falter and she grew quiet.

"I guess that means we will just have to keep our ears open right?" with an encouraging smile Lucy stood up to leave. "I think that is really cool that you're a dragon slayer Wendy. I wish that I had some kind of magic too."

"How do you know you don't?" It was an innocent question that had Lucy somewhat confused.

"I'm pretty sure I would have noticed by now if I did." Lucy smiled.

"I don't know much about magic but I think your special Lucy. I think you could be magic."

Lucy chuckled at the girl and her adorable words. She ran over and gave Wendy a tight hug.

"Thankyou Wendy. That means a lot to me."

Lucy really enjoyed having the smaller girl on board. She was like a smaller sister, she left her in the room and continued outside. Still in a daze from the new information. She found herself walking aimlessly on the deck, she paused for a few moments to try to learn cards with Gajeel. It was difficult but she somewhat got the hang of it. He taught her all the ways she could cheat.

Maybe she could kick Natsu's ass in poker.

She stopped by Erza, thanking her for the seventh time for the clothes and asking her about their next destination. Apparently they weren't too far and they'd be there by tomorrow at the crack of dawn if all went well. Lucy was beginning to become bored. Where was Natsu? Before she knew it she was at his door knocking away, louder than she had to. She felt the need to be obnoxious to him today. The doorknob twisted and Happy fluttered out into her arms.

"Hey Lucy! Natsu's sleeping and said he didn't want to be disturbed for a while. But I can hang out with you if you're bored!"

Lucy had a feeling that the cat was rather hopeful about hanging out with her so she nodded and gave the cat a pat on it's head. Lucy sat down on the deck somewhere somewhat secluded from everyone else and pulled out a string. She had been lucky enough to have found the jackpot on the ground and had it saved for this exact reason. It was every cat's dream really. She dragged it across the ground watching as the pile of blue fur pounded after it, giggling all the while.

She laughed along with the cat, glad to have something to entertain herself with. Lifting it up she made the cat jump up for it, of course Happy cheated and used his wings eventually. They were actually quite beautiful and she found herself reaching out to touch them, letting the cat chew on the string.

"Happy, where did you get wings?"

"Hm? I dunno, I hatched with them."

"Hatched? Like from an egg?" This cat just kept getting weirder and weirder.

"Yeah, Natsu hatched me with Lisanna."

There she was again, Lisanna. The mystery girl. Ignoring the obvious flaws about a cat hatching from an egg she braved a question about the girl.

"Happy. Could you tell me about Lisanna?"

The cat stopped playing with the string and looked up at her, his little eyes were rather sad but he walked closed to her. Eventually pulling himself into her lap.

"Natsu usually doesn't like anyone talking about her but if he's asleep I think it'll be okay. Just don't tell him I told you 'kay?" His little furry face tried to look intimidating even though it was far from it Lucy nodded seriously.

"Lisanna used to be our ship's doctor. I think that Natsu really liked her, like…liiiiiiiked her." He rolled his tongue distractingly. "She was really nice to everyone and we really miss her."

Lucy nodded along with his story, petting the cat's soft fur as he continued.

"One day a big fight broke out and Natsu and Lisanna had been separated from the group earlier that day. Someone had called the government saying that pirates had arrived at their island. Natsu and Lisanna were off doing a job on the opposite side of the island from us so we couldn't warn them about the soldiers. By the time we made it over to them Lisanna had died and was taken away and Natsu…Natsu was different. It took a while to calm him down enough. He was hurt really bad and Erza had to fight him to get him back on the boat again. Since then he hasn't talked about it and gets upset at the mention of her, or even a doctor for that matter. He won't even talk about it with me. No one else knows what happened that day between the two but it changed Natsu. He had been so quiet and…just not himself anymore. He still has problems sleeping."

She chewed on her lip. That would explain why he reacted that way when she mentioned a doctor. It was still an open wound to him. That would also explain how no one would talk about Lisanna. They were probably scared he would go back to the way he had been.

"But since you've been on board he's been normal."

Now her eyebrows furrowed together. Why was that? Was she just a psychological replacement for Lisanna? He may not have meant it that way but that's probably why he's been more himself lately. No wonder Erza had gotten mad at him like she had when Lucy came aboard. To her it had seemed like he was trying to replace Lisanna, fill that hole with something. What was so special about herself that would make him so happy? It wasn't like she was something special, well in his world at least. She was special in her world, of royalty and proper etiquette. She wasn't putting herself down she was just being realistic. In his world of fighting and drinking and killing she was at a loss, he was good at it and she was just a beginner. Nothing special. It wasn't a bad thing, she would grow at it she knew but still, now it just didn't make much sense to her why he thought of her so highly. Like she was Lisanna, like she already knew how to fight and swear and actually heal people.

She didn't even have magic.

"Did Lisanna have magic?"

Happy nodded in response.

Of course she did. Why wouldn't she? Lisanna was little miss perfection that Lucy had to live up to. She shook her head, she couldn't be bitter about this, jealousy never got anyone anywhere. Lucy didn't even know the girl.

"Was she a healer like Wendy?"

"No, she just took it upon herself to help out. She had takeover magic like Elfman. Lisanna was his sister after all." Happy purred.

Lucy found herself looking over to where Elfman was standing. He was chuckling away loudly, saying something about being manly and stuff. She smiled absentmindedly at him. Such a strong person, to have lost a little sister and been so strong. Lucy could tell he was a strong man, sensitive to a fault at times but that made him who he was. She never would have guessed that he had lost a sister somewhat recently.

Lucy still had not seen his takeover magic but she had heard a definition of it earlier. He apparently could transform his body parts into whatever beast he had defeated. Seemed like it would be handy in battle.

But no one could use any of their gifts. It seemed so unfair that they had this beautiful magic and they were hiding it like it was the plague. Lucy wanted to see a world where everyone could use their magic freely. They could help regular people out, like Lucy.

She felt so boring for not having any magic. She was just a princess playing pirate with a splash of magic in the mix.

Sighing she stood up, giving Happy a pat on the head of dismissal and continued to walk around the ship. It was a calm day, even the water was calm. Finally she had a nice day to just get to know some of the crew. Grey ended up stripping down to nothing and Lucy's face had practically exploded in red. She didn't need to see that much of him, no matter how good looking he was. Lucy was pretty sure that he had asked to borrow her underwear as well, she couldn't be sure though, there had been a lot of yelling going on mostly by herself.

Laxus was another story. She couldn't figure him out, he seemed very secluded unlike his friends. Freed was very kind even though his outer appearance was somewhat stiff. She had even managed to get out what kind of magic he used. Some kind of rune magic. Lucy didn't understand but that was all Freed was willing to share at the time. Bixlow was for lack of a better word unique, he didn't spill anything about his magic but Lucy noticed he carried three little dolls around with him. Three little what seemed to be drums with faces on them. She couldn't think of a single form of magic that would involve those. It was frustrating to not know. Her natural curiosity was getting the best of her and no one was satisfying that craving.

Finally Natsu came out of his room and immediately he was searching for her.

Deciding to pull a prank on him she hid behind a barrel, luckily she was near the corner of the deck. She was hidden from everyone this way. Serves him right for calling her a princess again, he wouldn't be able to find her. Sitting comfortably she let her back relax against the barrel, she would wait for hours if she had to.

She smiled deviously to herself but the smile turned into a rather large 'O' as she found herself staring into the eyes of the one person she had been hiding from.

"Ah! H-how did you find me?" She squeaked.

He said nothing, just casually tapping his nose as he sat down, rather close beside her leaning his back against the barrel too. Of course, his nose could smell her. She didn't think she would ever get used to that. Then the thought came into her mind of what she smelt like. It wasn't like she had her perfumes like she had in the palace. Lucy thought about asking him but was distracted when he reached his hand up and lazily rubbed his eyes. He really had been sleeping not too long ago, or by the looks of it trying to sleep.

"Are you still tired?" She thought out loud, trying to ignore how much he looked like a cute kid when he yawned.

"Mm."

Wasn't very talkative right now was he?

"Can't sleep?"

"Mm."

This conversation wasn't going anywhere. Why did he even leave his room if he was still sleepy?

"Why not?"

He finally turned his head and stared at her sleepily, clearly torn to tell her or not.

"Bad dreams?" She poked further.

There was a long pause where he looked down to the ground, a universal sign that she had gotten it spot on.

"Pirates don't have nightmares. Nightmares are for kids."

Lucy looked at him skeptically, clearly he was denying it. She knew better than that though.

"I don't agree with that. I think that nightmares happen when they happen, whether your five or ninety. You don't have control over it. It's not like it's a weakness or something."

She risked a glance over in his direction, to find him staring straight ahead his eyelids obviously still rather heavy for him as his eyes were almost closed.

"It's…because of my weakness…"

Lucy was confused by his mumbled statement and was about to ask further into it when she felt weight on her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she looked down at the sleeping pirates head, currently resting on her shoulder.

She froze. Natsu had fallen asleep and fell over onto her shoulder. What was she supposed to do now? Was she supposed to wake him up? Had he even meant to say the words that he had before? Clearly the man was tired and wasn't thinking as coherent as usual. 'It's because of his weakness'? What is? The fact he has nightmares? Her mind went back to the conversation she had with Happy that morning. Once Lisanna died he hadn't been able to sleep, Happy had told her that. That was probably what he was having nightmares about. He was still blaming himself for what happened to her? No one knew what had happened except him. Had it actually been his fault?

The first night she had spent here he seemed to sleep fine. Or maybe she just hadn't noticed she was so distracted.

He twitched in his sleep, mumbling some incoherent thing. Natsu didn't seem to be in any pain at the time. Maybe she should just let him sleep, this may be one of the few times he'd be able to sleep well. If she could be a shoulder for him to lean on she was perfectly okay with that, she had the feeling he really needed someone like that. She patted his head lightly wondering how his pink spikes were so soft but looked so sharp. The sun was still up and bright, casting a comfortable heat over the two to the point where she felt her own eyelids droop.

It probably wasn't the best idea but she tilted her own head onto his and let her eyes slid shut. They could lean on each other, Lucy had never had this either. It was nice.

Plus, it's not like any other crew members could see them anyway.

Happy held in a giggle.

* * *

Lucy woke up first, groaning about the major kink in her neck from sleeping with her neck like it had been. Natsu was still well asleep, she felt some drool on her arm and she tried her best to ignore it.

No one had ever drooled on her before.

For some reason she found it rather amusing, still grossed out but she couldn't help a small smile twitch across her lips. Clearly they had been sleeping for hours, the sky was dark now the stars just beginning to emerge. She stared up at the moon for a while, it looked so much larger out here on the ocean than it had from her balcony.

Deciding that was enough drool on her arm for today she reached up and gently shook Natsu who at first just groaned and shrugged her hand away. She had to resist the urge to move her shoulder and let his head thump to the ground.

"Natsu, time to wake up now. Come on." She shook a little harder earning a sudden rather violent twitch as he awoke.

He sat up straight as an arrow, seemingly confused to where he was at the moment. Lucy wiped the drool off her arm onto Natsu's arm. It seemed to get his attention.

His full attention was right on her as he stared her down. Lucy could've sworn she had started to sweat with the intense stare he was giving her.

"D-did I fall asleep?" He broke his gaze and looked around again, unconsciously rubbing his own spit off his arm.

"Mm. You sure did." Lucy smirked, he looked so lost.

"I fell asleep…on you?"

She bit her lip, he looked back at her and he almost looked afraid that she would be mad at him. Suppressed chuckles made her shoulders twitch. Lucy couldn't even make eye contact with him, his facial expression was just too hilarious. How could you be mad at a guy like this?

"Yeah, you did." She kept her voice low, she didn't want him to be able to read her yet, it would be interesting to see if he would apologize for something like this.

This was for calling her a princess.

"You sat there the whole time? It must have been hours."

"Yeah I did. Awake the whole time." She was such a liar.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

This was getting harder, he was acting like a kid that had done something wrong.

"Cause you haven't been sleeping lately, I thought you needed some sleep."

"Oh…thank-you."

She felt a painful twinge in her heart, that was heartfelt. Really heartfelt. There goes her feelings of revenge.

"N-no problem. Did you at least get a good rest?"

He rubbed his neck, it was probably just as sore as hers yet a small smile grew on his lips.

"Yeah actually, the best I've had in a long time."

Her face heated up a little, she was glad he got some rest.

"It looks like it's about time to go to bed now." Lucy laughed, trying her best to change the topic. She didn't like being flustered.

"Nah! Have you ever gone fishing?"

* * *

He handed her a fishing pole after of course a quick lesson on how to fish. She stood against the railing, fishing rod extended over the edge and line in the water. How in god's name had she agreed to this? Natsu hadn't even given her a chance when she had said she had indeed never been fishing before.

She felt nervous even being near the railing after her incident with the fish. Now she was purposely trying to catch something?

What if it was some kind of monster?

"What happens if I hook something poisonous?" She asked over to Natsu who was sitting on the railing, feet dangling down towards the water. How he could do that was beyond her, he was either very brave or very stupid.

"Then you don't eat it."

Lucy could've smacked him in the back of his head.

"Yeah, but I mean do we cut the line?"

"Do you want to touch something poisonous again? Do you like being poisoned?"

Now she actually smacked him, nice and hard in the back of his head.

She hadn't expected him to actually slip clean off the railing.

Looked like she had gotten her revenge sooner than she had imagined. She threw her fishing pole to the ground, her body leaning heavily over the railing now, eyes searching the water.

At first she had been scared for him, especially when he hit the water. But he came up right away gripping onto the wooden handles on the side of the ship and hoisting himself out of the water. She hadn't even seen the handles before, maybe because they weren't actually handles as much as large chips out of the wooden panel of the boat. By the time he got over the ledge Lucy was unsure of what she should do. The expression on his face said he wasn't amused but his eyes held no anger at all. In fact they were almost smiling.

His arms were wrapped around himself as he dripped on the deck teeth chattering.

"Is that cold…princess?"

She broke into a huge smile as her revenge was executed, seriously she would have high-fived herself if it was possible. Never mess with Lucy, she may accidentally get her revenge.

"I dunno, you wanna feel?" He cracked a devilish grin as he reached out to grab her. Screeching, Lucy ran at full tilt away from him, towards her safe haven, the girls quarters. She managed to make it there quickly, terrified of the quick footsteps that followed her. Lucy beat him there, reefing the door open and turning in the door frame to stick her tongue out.

Her face was met with a very heavy piece of wet fabric and her ears filled with the boisterous laughter of the captain. He had apparently thrown his shirt, which had splattered right onto her face. He was right to be shivering, it was freezing cold.

She ripped the fabric off her face to give one last final glare at Natsu. Which she immediately regretted when she saw him. His chest was just as scarred as his back, if not worse, it was hard to tell in the dark and through the distance. That wasn't what stopped her in her tracks though. It was just the sight of him, shirtless and soaking wet in the moonlight that made her catch her breath unintentionally. Would she ever be able to get used to seeing a guy like him? She thought people only looked like that if they worked out ever day. Already her cheeks had heated up and she immediately swung the door shut, his wet shirt still in her hand.

She breathed against the door rubbing her face with her free hand. Honestly she had a right to be reacting like this, it's like she had been saying the whole time, she wasn't used to seeing guys like Natsu. Tossing his wet shirt to the ground she quickly dressed and climbed into bed. Letting herself drift off to sleep to the sounds of Wendy's quiet breathing in the bed beside her.

He stared at the door for a few minutes wondering why she had just abruptly closed the door, had he done something wrong? Deciding he probably didn't he smirked at what she had said. Calling a pirate captain like him a princess? That was certainly the first time he had ever heard that one, she was becoming more of a pirate every day. She didn't take any shit from him, it filled his mind as he stared out over the ocean. He rubbed his eyes in frustration.

She had let him sleep on her shoulder for hours today and for the first time in a long while he had actually gotten some decent sleep. Why was that? What was it about her that allowed him to sleep comfortably. It annoyed him how he had done that, it wasn't very captain like of him, he had just been so exhausted lately. Though he would never admit it his nightmares just wouldn't leave him alone.

It had all been his fault and he couldn't accept it. He couldn't let it go, his mind continuously reprimanded him every time he tried to. Forcing nightmares into his dreams. Natsu didn't even feel like sleeping half the time even though he was so tired. He felt weak for behaving this way, like a child crying for their mom after having a scary dream. This was kid stuff.

This would be another night when he wouldn't be able to sleep. He would just stay up and think about it, about how he could've done things differently. How he could've saved her. He just wanted to move on but he couldn't. He had let Lisanna die.

It was as simple as that.

* * *

The morning started wrong. Lucy could tell as soon as she was being pulled from her dreams. There was usually a certain amount of yelling in the morning but this morning it was different. She tried to ignore it until she heard a bang on the door and Natsu's voice in the distance yelling for everyone to abandon ship.

Abandon ship?

She tried her hardest to wake up, thinking this was just some kind of a bad dream. But when she felt Wendy's hand on her shoulder shaking her saying for her to wake she felt her stomach drop. Immediately the covers were on the floor, Wendy's hand in hers as they ran to the door. Before they could reach the door it had burst open, a rather tired looking Gray stood in the way.

"Go! Get off the ship!" He ordered, stepping quickly around them. Lucy being in a bit of a daze still felt Wendy tug at her hand, pulling her out of the room Charle flying by her head. Her eyes never left Gray, wondering what he was doing in their room when they were supposed to jump ship. Her thoughts were answered when he brought his hands up in front of him.

At first Lucy thought she was seeing something. A rather large and intricate circle formed around his hands with a few muttered words. It was beautiful, a mixture of blue and white, there were some kind of letters engraved in the circle she couldn't read. Some kind of an ancient looking script. Before she could marvel in its beauty any more it disappeared and to her surprise her entire dresser was suddenly submerged in ice. All her belongings, encased in ice.

Lucy blinked. That was magic. She had finally seen magic! Gray was an ice mage! For a moment in her euphoria she forgot what was happening. Why the hell was he freezing her stuff?

Wendy's hand was ripped from her own, tearing her attention back to the girl who was floating up into the air now.

"Lucy!" The girl screamed, her hand outstretched towards her. Her cat mumbled something about getting her to safety as she flew away with Wendy in her grasp. When Wendy was out of her sight Lucy finally took the time to look around.

People were running every which way, panicked looks on their faces. Natsu stood still through it, asking questions rather calmly but still urgently. He ordered people every which way, some to abandon ship.

"What the hell is going on!"

Lucy heard someone yell out to him.

"Shipeaters. There's a ton of them, we can't get rid of them. This ship is going down, make sure any belongings you want to keep you either take with you or you get Gray to secure them. If not then jump ship, swim quickly to the shoreline, it's not too far away. Shipeaters don't eat anything except wood so they won't bother you. Now go!" Natsu shouted over the commotion on the deck.

Lucy stared at him. Shipeaters? Quickly running over to the side of the ship with the rest of the crew she looked below. The water was splashing widely, small fish were chomping away at the boat. The were short but rather wide, a light blue color, letting them blend well into the water and the majority of their bodies consisted of their mouths. Wood splintered and cracked under their sharp teeth. They were literally eating the ship, and fast. Her eyes scanned the horizon and easily spotted the island, it wasn't very far away at all. All she would have to do was jump in and swim there and everything would be fine.

Except she couldn't swim.

Panic slowly started to creep up on her. What was she going to do? Most of the crew had jumped in the water now, or was currently jumping.

For Lucy time seemed to slow down, she had to tell someone. Natsu? Natsu would help her. She turned around spotting him and Gray discussing something across the deck. She was about to open her mouth to yell over at him when she felt arms around her waist hoisting her up. With a small 'eep' she found herself standing on the railing, a crew member holding her hand to steady her, his feet also balancing him on the railing.

"We gotta go now! Ready? Go!" He shouted jumping off the boat.

Lucy swallowed hard and pulled her hand back hard, he hadn't given her enough time to say she couldn't swim! She managed to get her hand out of his grasp, letting him fall to the water by himself. She felt herself pitch forwards, she had lost her balance already.

Lucy was falling. Immediately she twisted her body, her eyes luckily finding Natsu and Gray's for a brief moment, she opened her mouth wide and yelled at the top of her lungs.

"I CAN'T SWIM!"

Gray blinked.

One second Natsu had been asking him if all the valuables were safe and then Lucy was screaming something. Not just something, but that she couldn't swim. For a moment he had stared in disbelief.

"Did she just say what I think she said?" He found himself muttering, before he could even finish Natsu was running, Gray swore he heard a small growl come from him too. He took this as his cue to jump too. With a swift turn he jumped over the closest railing, Natsu could handle this.

When she hit the water she lost her breath, it wasn't as cold as last night but it was still really cold. She watched the bubbles escaped her mouth, clamping a hand over her mouth in fear she would lose more precious oxygen. She began to sink, every millisecond that past terrified her more and more, had Natsu not heard her? Her heart constricted painfully, she had hardly begun to live yet and she as going to die?

She sunk deeper, looking up at the boat, a huge crowd of Shipeaters were swimming around what was left of the ship. The Shipeaters ate around the blocks of ice inside the ship, the ice floated on top of the water, untouched and safe in the frozen water. Now she understood Gray's actions. Her eyes drifted to all the people swimming, along the top of the water. Jealousy filled her veins. If only she could swim, everything would be fine. Lucy would be fine.

There was a splash directly above her, for a moment she couldn't see through the bubbles but already hope had emerged. Tears would have streaked her cheeks if she wasn't underwater. It was Natsu. He swam efficiently, his powerful strokes powering him down to her.

Her lungs began to sting, he was still so far away. His eyes were trained on her face as he got closer and closer. His arms stretched out in front of him, pushing water out of the way like he was reaching out to her.

She outstretched her hand to him, hoping and praying that he would reach her soon as she closed her eyes. It felt like eternity but eventually she felt his hand grasp hers and pull. She felt him grab her other hand too, entwining them around his neck. She cracked her eyes open in confusion, with a quick nod from him she understood and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. He needed both his arms to swim faster, this way he would be able to. Her body was pressed against his front, if it was any other situation she would've been completely embarrassed. Right now, she was just trying to stay conscious. Though she did notice the fact he still wasn't wearing a shirt, she had left the one he had been wearing last night on her bedroom's floor.

When he began to move her grip on him tightened, she was scared. She buried her face into his chest, trying to hold in the last of her breath. She felt the water rush by them but she had no idea how fast they were going. How long had she been in the water? Her chest began to scream for oxygen and she felt her grip loosen a bit. She was reaching her limit, her head began to feel light and her thoughts became mixed and dizzy.

Wasn't she supposed to have flashbacks of her life or something? She didn't want to, not only for the fact that it would mean that she was dying, but also because she hadn't really enjoyed her life. She had barely had any good memories, why would she want to look back on them now before she died? Wouldn't it just be even more depressing?

Before she could continue her morbid thoughts she felt her face hit a cool wall of something. It took a few moments to realize that it was air before her lungs began to greedily suck it in. Her lungs burned as the new oxygen seemed too cold for her. She even coughed out small amounts of water, wondering when she had even swallowed it. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes from the pain and she became aware that Natsu was holding her up, looking at her in worry and fear. It was a facial expression that didn't suit him.

It wasn't just fear it was like he was actually terrified. For a few seconds she stared back at him, noticing now that he had been saying something, even now she didn't make out much words, just stuff like asking if she was okay. His grip on her was tighter than necessary but it made her feel comfortable. Once she began to regulated her breathing somewhat his face calmed down and a frown appeared on his lips.

Without a word he swung her around so she was lying against his back, her arms still wrapped tightly around his neck. He started to swim forwards, her body a slight hindrance to his movements but he kept both of them above the water easily enough. That was when she started to feel stupid. Why had she not told him earlier about that fact she couldn't swim?

She was happy that nothing bad had happened from it, well too bad anyway. Her throat felt like she had swallowed sand paper.

Of course she thought too soon.

By then they had been so close to the shore she thought they would've been safe. She was rudely proven wrong when she felt Natsu jerk beneath her. Immediately she knew something was wrong, she felt his muscles tense beneath her and his arms shot up. They grabbed her hands, unwrapping them from his neck in a matter of seconds.

He barely managed to shout out half of Gray's name before he was tugged underwater.

She felt his grip let go of her arms and his hands push against her shoulders in record speed. Lucy moved through the water for a brief moment before she splashed back down into the water, the panicky feeling of sinking hit her again but it was replaced by something else entirely. As soon as the bubbles cleared around her she caught sight of Natsu and all her air left her lungs in one go.

Around his ankle was a rather large tentacle pulling him at alarming speed deeper into the water, back towards where the ship had been destroyed. At first she didn't see what was pulling him, the ocean was just tinted dark. Then she realized that the dark part was what was pulling him in. It moved just slightly and she made out it's shape. Like a giant octopus but it had much more than just eight arms, they spread out dangerously from it's body. She felt like it's head was larger than possible, the sheer size of this thing must have been at least three times as big as their ship.

Before she could breath in any more water or observe the sea creature she was pulled back up above the water. A half naked Gray looked at her in slight alarm, her facial expression was clearly giving away a fragment of what she had just seen.

"Natsu! A monster got him!" It sounded childish but it was the best vocabulary she could find at the instant.

"Ah dammit, he always get's into trouble. I swear he's half fish bait." Gray responded, swimming to the shore with her in tow.

She stared at him incredulously. How could he be so calm about all of this? Natsu was just taken by a huge sea monster and all he had was a snarky remark about fish bait? Apparently he understood her newly stunned expression.

"He should be fine. If not, then do we really deserve to call him our Captain?" Gray muttered with a wink. The wink made her cheeks turn a tinge of pink. Did they really have that much faith in their Captain?

Shouldn't they try to help?

Before she could put together her next sentence the water in the distance burst upwards, like an explosion had occurred under the surface. Lucy stared in awe at the height of the geyser.

Had that really been Natsu? Straining her eyes she observed the water where the geyser had happened, the water was bubbling furiously almost like it was boiling.

"Show off." She heard someone mutter as Gray finally reached the newly populated shore.

"He's an idiot. Hopefully no one saw that." Gray growled, helping Lucy steady herself on the sandy beach, she muttered a quiet thanks her eyes still not leaving the bubbling water. The crew started to act normally, pulling any cubes or large ice blocks from the water into the shore. Everyone had managed to push the ice cubes along with them as they swam, the few left out on the ocean Gray began to bring back in. If she wasn't so worried and distracted by Natsu's predicament she would've watched in awe as his ice traveled quickly across the top of the water attaching to the blocks in the distance, from there he pulled the object back in, letting the ice melt when it wasn't needed anymore. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw him take off his pants amongst the middle of his actions, uninhibited by the extra movements of stripping. Was he just trying to be distracting?

She felt someone wrap their arms around her, looking down she saw Wendy hugging around her waistline. The young girl was clearly upset for leaving Lucy to fend for herself, especially when she found out Lucy couldn't swim. Lucy patted her head, letting the girl know it was okay.

It should be okay, if Natsu would finally show his face and let her know he was okay. If not, it would be entirely Natsu's fault.

It took a few minutes but eventually she saw a pink head of hair pop up from the water no too far from the shoreline. He swam towards the shore once he discovered what direction it was in. It didn't seem like he was injured or hurt.

What in gods name had he done that would've hurt the octopus. Or was it a Kraken?

Had Lucy just seen a Kraken?

Ignoring the thought as it terrified her to no end she kept her attention on Natsu as his feet finally reached the bottom and he stood, wading out of the shallow water. Once his eyes made contact with hers she couldn't look away. Natsu looked angry, genuinely angry.

Was he angry at her? The way he was stalking right towards her seemed to reassure those thoughts.

In fact when he was completely out of the water he grabbed her arm, somewhat roughly and hauled her away from the group, Wendy letting her loose from her grasp. The group didn't seem to mind too much and continued with their own escapades.

She, on the other hand was terrified out of her wits. The Kraken had nothing on an angry Natsu. Once they were out of earshot of the rest Natsu dropped her arm and turned around to look at her.

Eyebrows together he practically glared at her for a few minutes, he had never looked at her like that before. his breathing was still rather rapid like he had finished running a marathon. After a few minutes of uncomfortable staring Lucy decided to try to start apologizing, she had a feeling he was upset over the whole swimming incident, after all he had not been angry beforehand.

"I-" She began only to be interrupted by Natsu.

"What the hell were you thinking? Why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim? You know how stupid it is for a pirate to not be able to swim? That's like suicide! And to not even mention it to me? What if no one had heard you and no one knew you fell into the water? You idiot…I can't believe…" His words started off angry and sharp, poking at her obvious stupidity but they grew softer and shorted out at the end. His head even dropped a little his head shaking in disbelief.

Her eyes glared at the floor, she had been a fool without even realizing it and it had even put Natsu in danger. Suddenly she felt very stupid and wanted to just curl up and hide. In fact the emotions of regret started to swirl inside her so strongly she even started to tear up a bit. Lucy hated that even more.

She heard a sigh and to her embarrassment she noticed Natsu had looked back up to see her obvious tears pooling in the corner of her eyes. She tried furiously to blink them back down but only succeeded in sending them down her cheeks. Embarrassed she thought to turn and run away when she felt a hand on her chin and felt a piece of fabric rub rather roughly across her cheeks.

Natsu was wiping her tears away.

"Come on, don't cry. Everything is fine, just tell me stuff like this okay? Is there anything else I should now about?" He muttered, finishing wiping the salty water from her face and releasing his light grip on her chin.

Her mind strained to find something that might be of importance, something that could come up as problematic somewhere along the way.

"I can't sing." She was surprised when it came out rushed, she hadn't even meant to say it really.

Natsu blinked at her startled by her answer, his mouth creeping up into a huge smile that turned into loud laughter. His hand held his stomach as he keeled over his laughter echoing through the forest around them.

His laughter was infectious, Lucy couldn't resist and joined in.

* * *

**Well there's the latest installment for this story ^^ I've received so many awesome reviews! Sorry for any spelling mistakes, I didn't really read over it too well...since its so long.**

**But there is one change I'm going to do now, instead of writing responses to my reviews here I will start to send PM's as thanks to those that review.  
**

**It was starting to get reeeaaalllyyy long down here and someone pointed it out, and I agree. That and it takes me like an extra day (since I only get a few hours if I have any time) to write the reviews. I think you guys may appreciate it more. I dunno.  
**

**ANYWAY!  
**

**NALU!  
**

**Whoot...I seriously believe that it's canon. That is all. Thankyou for reading! Don't forget to review! I'd like to hear what you guys think is gonna happen on this island mwuahaha! MWUAHAHA! I have so many ideas that I can't decide yet! ^^ Thankyou~~!  
**


	11. Be a Man, Do the Right Thing

**Oh. My. GOD. I'm sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER, seriously between illness and school I haven't had much time to write much of anything.**

**BUT here we are.**

**Sorry to all those that I did not send PMs to, :( I'll try to do better this time, it's just really hard to find the time to reply to 70+ reviews haah but I will try harder this time ^^  
**

**This is just full of Nalu fluffiness, I felt like it was needed with the latest chapters of OH SO OBVIOUS NALU. They are ending up together, sorry but I'm so positive it's a fact now.**

**I feel like this chapter is really weird but I hope you guys still like it. I like to put characters into weird situations where you haven't seen them before because it's sooo fun.**

**Especially Natsu, sorry Natsu this chapter was totally poking fun at you the whole time! Enjoy!**

* * *

None of this made any sense. Sure, getting together a group to go scout the island did, bringing her along not so much. Even Wendy was dragged along. The group Natsu had hastily picked out consisted of Erza, Gray, Lucy and Wendy, and the two cats.

Even that made sense more than this.

They had found a town; it was originally the island they had wanted to land on in the first place. They had just been fortunate enough to land on the opposite side of the island, so they had a lot of walking to do. Lucy never thought about the fact she would be walking through lush forest for hours in nothing but a mini skirt and heeled boots. Yeah, not her best idea. Yet, they had made it and now here she was.

In a bar. Alone.

How did this happen?

She wasn't very sure herself; Natsu had originally come with her when the group split up to search for a shipwright. It was the middle of the day so the town shouldn't be too dangerous, Natsu had told her so, and he had been here before actually. But alas, he jumped the gun and ran out of the bar when they had begun to question the bar maid, saying something about meeting him across the street because something smelt really good.

She had not held in her sigh as she watched him bolt out the door.

"He seems like a handful." The brunette smiled at her, taking a drink of something. Now that Lucy paid closer attention she realized it was beer. Was this lady drinking on the job?

"You could say that." Lucy responded politely, honestly she had been more of a handful to the team than Natsu had. Life as a pirate was a handful.

"Boyfriend?"

Lucy choked on her own spit.

"What? No, certainly not." Her voice was as steady as she could muster.

"Oh? Well, a good looking guy like that won't stay single for long; you may want to snatch that up before it's gone." The lady chuckled, taking another swig from her glass.

Lucy bit her lip and turned to stare out the door he had just ran. Natsu was good looking but she couldn't…she wouldn't do that. He was her Captain, to think of him as a boyfriend was still odd. He probably wouldn't know what that was anyway.

Lying to herself didn't seem to be working, she knew about Lisanna. Their relationship must've been rather far along when she had died. Happy said it himself…he had 'liiiiiiiked' her. Though that still didn't convince her much, sure she liked Natsu, but not that way yet, if she ever would.

"It's complicated." Lucy muttered, swiveling in her chair a bit debating just getting up and leaving.

"Isn't it always? That's half the fun right? So what are you in town for?"

Lucy's eyebrow rose, looking back at the row of emptied glasses she had just determined did not come from the customers. The girl acted rather normally though, considering she should be plastered by now.

"Um…well, we were wondering if there was a shipwright in town." Lucy said, wondering if she should be asking a lady who was potentially drunk out of her mind.

"Oh yeah, you want Tim. Tim is an ass though, always overprices everything! Now he's the only one capable of building a ship on this island he can charge whatever he wants. If you're looking for a ship, you may just be screwed." The young woman chuckled.

"Great, so it's going to cost a lot of money." Lucy sighed; she had an idea of how much money the crew had. "Don't suppose you have an approximate estimate?"

"Oh lord, last person that left this island had paid Tim, what was it? Something ridiculous. Like 13?"

"Thirteen what?"

"Million, of course."

Lucy deadpanned. Ten million? They barely had one…would they be stuck on this island forever? How long would it take for the crew to raise that much money? Years at least. Unless they stole it. She had expected it to be a lot, but 2 million tops.

"You could always go see Ratchin about it though…"

Lucy's hope started to crawl back onto the counter, though she didn't like that devious glint in the brunette's eye.

"And who is Ratchin?"

"The billionaire that lives up the mountain…well he's probably past the billionaire part by now. He would probably give you money, as long as you ask nicely." She said as she winked.

What was that wink for?

"Ask…nicely?" Lucy didn't like the sound of that.

"Well, he's a lonely guy up there on the mountain, I'm sure if you just showed some skin he would be willing to pay a lot of money."

"Skin?" Lucy cringed. Did this girl think she was a whore too? She wasn't even wearing her fancy dress, did that mean like she looked like a cheap whore now? Great.

"Yeah, all you gotta do is flash some skin at him and I'm sure he'll pay up, just make sure to bring your 'not' boyfriend." The bar maid continued, holding back an obvious laugh.

"What kind of person do you take me for!" Lucy hissed, angry at the accusation she would do such a thing.

"I take you for the kind of person who wouldn't want to spend years doing hard labour." The other woman bit back just as fierce.

"I would never stoop that low." Lucy sneered, surprised at her own snideness.

"We shall see, in about a month or so. If the government doesn't catch you first." The brunette chuckled, eyeing the younger girl carefully.

Lucy reacted on instinct, her mouth slapping shut rather loudly as she realized the truth. They could easily be caught by the government here, they were sitting ducks.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I have no idea what the government would want with a handful of merchants."

"Merchants my ass. I'm not stupid, come on. Like, look at what you're wearing."

A slight blush painted across Lucy's cheeks at the other ladies words.

"I didn't choose these clothes…" She murmured.

"I mean, I like what you're wearing but still, you can't lie to a bar maid, I see through bullshit like I'm looking through a clear sky. Don't worry; I'll keep your secret though." The lady cackled, and for some reason Lucy trusted her.

"The name's Cana, Cana Alberona. Let me know when I win my side of the bet and skin is shown!" Cana laughed, sticking her hand out towards Lucy for a handshake.

Lucy wasn't sure when she agreed to a bet but she complied with the handshake anyway.

"My name is Lucy, it is very nice to meet you. But, I am a merchant, I am not saying otherwise." Lucy stated firmly, trying desperately to keep the crew and herself safe.

"Why of course. See you soon." Cana said as Lucy stood off her stool to finally find the disappeared Natsu. Lucy bowed in respect to Cana before taking off with a verbal goodbye as well. They'd have to find another way to make money.

"Crazy Pirates." Cana muttered under her breath, taking another swig of her alcohol.

* * *

"Lucy! About time you showed up! I was almost done eating everything I ordered." Natsu cackled, some food spewing onto the table as he struggled to eat and talk at the same time. Lucy mindlessly sat down, wiping some chicken that had ended up on her shirt onto the floor. Her mind was still on Cana. How did she know they weren't what she had said they were? Was it that obvious?

"What's up?" Natsu's voice sounded, pushing a plate of something towards her. "Eat up, you've gotta be hungry by now."

"Natsu? How are we going to get off this island?" Lucy questioned a bit exasperated, picking up some chop sticks and politely placing whatever was placed in front of her into her mouth.

"...In a ship?"

Did Natsu seriously think that was what she was asking?

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, where are we going to get a ship? I got some information about a guy named Tim who makes ships here but apparently he likes to overprice people…" Lucy explained, trying not to be too distracted by the mass amounts of food Natsu was consuming.

"That's fine, we can pay whatever." He said simply, nodding as if he agreed with himself.

"We don't have that kind of money; Cana said that the last ship that left here cost the owner 13 million." Lucy growled, she knew he wouldn't understand it.

"13 million? Yeah, we don't have that." Obviously. "Hmm, I guess we will have to work for it."

Lucy sighed.

"Aren't you worried at all? What if the government catches us?" Lucy could barely hear her hushed whisper but she knew Natsu would hear it with his good hearing.

"Hm." Natsu finally stopped eating. "Well, let's not jump to conclusions now; let's see how much the ship is going to cost us. Maybe we will get lucky and it'll be cheaper than the last one?"

"30 million."

Lucy openly gaped along with Natsu. They had spent the last hours getting directions to this guy's house so they could as him. The town was rather large and the two of them had gotten lost along the way more than once. To be told 30 million after all of that…was just preposterous. He was a rather large man, muscles clearly from building ships over the years. Tim was tanned, black hair slicked back. Honestly he would have been rather attractive had his high and mighty attitude not been oozing off of him in heaps.

"30 million! That's insane!" Lucy screeched.

"We will give you 1 million for it."

Natsu's voice was followed by utter silence.

"What are you stupid? That's not how haggling works son." Tim cocked an eyebrow at Natsu.

Lucy gave another sigh, seemed like she was doing a lot of sighing today. Did he actually believe that would work?

"The last ship that left here only cost 10 million." Lucy stated.

"That last ship was half the size of what you need. Hey, if you don't like the price go to another ship wright." The man finished with a long smirk across his lips. He knew damn well there were no other ship wrights in town.

"You know, your attitude is awful for business." Lucy scowled at the man.

"Business is business. Not many people come by here, I gotta make a living too."

"Maybe if you were kind and great at your job people from all around would come to you." Lucy stomped her foot an turned towards the door, a sign to let Natsu know they were leaving. "And 30 million is too high to just to make a living!" She shouted behind her.

He followed her quietly, seeming to be thinking about something.

"Now what are we going to do Natsu! 30 million doesn't just fall from the sky you know! We are risking our lives by staying here for too long! Even a week is pushing it!" Lucy hissed at him, stomping harder than needed on the cobblestone path. The town was actually quite beautiful, Lucy would have been admiring it if she wasn't in such a stressed out state. The paths were all a solid cobblestone, a pale yellow, all the houses matched as well. Darker colored stone buildings only ever reaching up to two stories at best. It had a homey feeling that Lucy had not really experienced before. Too bad she was desperate to get out of the place; she may have really enjoyed it here.

"Well, we can work for it. If we get all the guys out on the farms surrounding this place I'm sure we could get out of here in like…a month?" Natsu muttered, walking beside her as he scratched his hooded head as he tried to do the math.

Lucy immediately knew the math was wrong, with the living expenses for the whole crew it would be four months in the least. Even if they lived out in the forest and survive off of it. Four months too long.

Lucy stopped her angry stomping. There was one way to make money fast.

"Ratchin." The name escaped her lips and her skin crawled.

"What about a rat chin?"

"No, I couldn't possibly! I mean…no. No way! But it could save our lives! Is it really worth it? No, I can't do that. But it's for the best…no…yes? Dammit!" She cursed, her eyes finding the palace, it was obvious and stuck out above the trees past the town. Through the opposite side of town and across a few fields and farms.

"You're acting kind of weird…" Natsu's voice brought her back to reality, his face close to hers as he studied her. Jerking back a few steps she muttered something about personal space and dragged her feet towards the hill.

"I guess if it's for the crew…" This was a desperate situation.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know how we can get the money." Lucy muttered, somewhat disgusted with herself now that she was giving in. She was going to have to show some skin…what would Natsu think of her? Would he be mad at her or would he be happy since they had the money to get out of here?

Wait…how much money would she get out of this? If it wasn't for the whole 30 million then she wasn't so sure she wanted to do it. But…she had to at least try right? What kind of person would give away 30 million to strangers…for only skin? Her inner turmoil was apparent on her face as she struggled to put one foot in front of the other, trying to hold onto the time she had before she did this…despicable act. She wasn't going to sleep with him. No way. But she might as well see how much money she could get by flashing a little something.

"Yo, hello? Luuuucy? You still in there? How can we get the money?"

Her gaze was finally averted to her Captain walking beside her, staring at her as she muttered incoherently to herself. He wore the same black toque as usual, the jacket and pants she had first seen him in. The one armed sleeve showing off one of his arms.

And rightfully so. It deserved to be showed off. Lucy shook her head, trying to plan ahead to what was going to happen. It was no time to appreciate muscles.

"You'll…you'll see. Just…try not to freak out, okay?" She mumbled, already unhappy.

His expression changed obviously with his thoughts, going from wonderment of what crazy thing she was going to do to a dark and serious face.

"What are you going to do?"

"Natsu, I said you'll see okay? So just wait…" She increased her pace trying to get out of his intense stare. Of course his hand grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"Tell me. Now. Captain's orders." A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes as he abused his Captains abilities, successfully making Lucy narrow her eyes in annoyance.

"I can't believe someone as childish as you is actually a Captain."

"That's what you signed up for once you because part of the crew."

"I'm…I'm just going to ask the rich guy up in the tower for some money." Lucy said, ignoring the fact she had just told him a half truth…but she still wasn't lying.

"Oh? Really? You think he'd just give us some money?" His voice wasn't condescending, he was actually curious.

"Uh, yeah. Cana, the girl from the bar, said that he gives money out sometimes…" _To certain people…_

"Oh cool, okay then let's go!" Natsu smiled, grabbing her hand and trudging off towards the palace at a rather alarmingly fast rate.

Lucy was surprised she didn't fall flat on her face as she picked up her feet to try to keep up. She had always thought that holding a guy's hand would be more…romantic than this. Or some romanticism involved at all.

Then she realized they were getting closer to the palace and quick. Her heart beat started to quicken out of fear and embarrassment. Cana seemed nice, she wouldn't have sent her up to a creep right?

It would be reassuring to have Natsu there though, if something went wrong.

Eventually Natsu slowed once he realized Lucy had started to huff and puff. He said something about working on aerobics and stamina later and walked with her. To her disappointment he dropped her hand after a few moments.

She just liked the feeling, that's all.

Lucy busied herself with her surroundings.

She honestly couldn't believe how calming it was here. They were outside the town now, travelling along a dirt path that weaved between the farms. There were a few cows grazing here and there, along with some sheep, horses, pigs, chickens. Anything that could be on a farm, you name it, was out here. The grass was a vibrant green, flowers bloomed along the path and the sun was warm on their backs.

This was nothing like her home island, dark and covered in soot from the factories. Her palace was the only thing that stood out amongst the dirt and grime. A large white spot in the middle of grey. A large pile of money that shouldn't have been kept up for one greedy man, a large pile of money that should have been distributed to the people.

It was a large pile of blood money. People died because of that money, including her mother. This place made it seem like her island, her past, was on a whole different world.

You know, ignoring the fact she was going to be acting like a prostitute within the next hour Lucy was really enjoying the island. Walking beside Natsu was nice too; he'd point to certain things like plants and tell her the names of them. His description of the plants and animals were usually based on if they were edible or not.

He had a lot more information on the ones you could eat, probably because he lost interest on the others once he heard they were edible.

"See and this one is like that purple plant near that one fork in the road, you know, the Itham? That one is poisonous but this one isn't, though it looks the same. This one has little yellow spots if you look closely…see?" He held the uprooted plant up close to her face and when she squinted she did indeed see very small specks of yellow, with a smile she nodded.

"This is called Yagmir, it holds water in its stem. If you snap it on the bottom you can drink it…here." Turning the plant upside down Natsu snapped the bottom off and handed it over to her. She took it, somewhat skeptically and looked down the plant's stem. The stem itself was about 2 inches in diameter and about a foot long, it clearly held a lot of water.

"Go ahead!" Natsu smirked at her, continuing his walking pace.

She put the stem to her lips and poured the liquid down her throat.

"Delicious!" She piped, surprised how cold and sweet the water was.

"I know, remember that one for sure, it's a pretty common plant. It's really good when you're stranded and need water. They grow pretty quick too, within three days or somethin'." Natsu explained his eyes trained on other plants as he walked by.

Lucy drank the rest of the water from the plant, savouring the sweet flavour. When she was done she stared down at the plant in her hands. Without even thinking she automatically launched it ahead straight into the back of Natsu's head. Honestly, she had no idea why she did it but the look on his face when he turned around was well worth it. An expression of shock and wonderment at her actions, but soon her heart froze when his lips quirked up into a dangerous smile.

"No! Don't do it! Whatever you're thinking of doing don't!" She shouted, already backpedaling.

"Oh, I have no idea what you're talking about _Lucy_." He practically hissed her name, the smirk never leaving his face.

"We don't have time for this! We have to go get the money so we can leave." Lucy decided, trying to put some kind of authority into her voice.

Natsu simply bent down and picked up the plant, when he looked down at it his smile fell.

Oh god, that was never a good sign.

"I…I think I mixed them up Luce…" Natsu was suddenly wide eyed as he stared back at her.

"I think you drank the poisonous one."

Her own breathing hitched in her lungs. The wrong one? Her stomach had been feeling kind of funny; her chest had begun to feel a little heavier.

How could he mix them up? Was she going to die?

Something smacked her right in the middle of the face; it stayed there for a few seconds as if to add dramatic effect and then plopped into her hands. It was the plant she had thrown at Natsu.

And he was all but rolling on the ground laughing now.

"Gotcha!" He cackled. "Did you know you totally zone out sometimes when you think! It's hilarious!"

Lucy bit her lip, a little hurt…relieved but still. That had honestly scared her a little. She huffed, throwing the plant into the dirt and trudged past him.

"Oh come on Luce that was just a joke!" He laughed, stepping wide to catch up with her.

"No, jokes are supposed to be funny to both sides. That most certainly was not." Lucy snapped, refusing to look at him now.

"Well, if you let up a little maybe it would've been funny to you."

"What is funny about dying?"

Natsu stumbled a bit at her words but recovered quickly, stepping in front of her and halting her mini rampage.

"Do you honestly think that I would give you anything to eat that was possibly poisonous? I would never put your life in danger."

At his seriousness Lucy cracked a smile.

"Says the one who helped me become a pirate…that's just safety in a bottle right there."

"Well, it was either that or you stay with your father who was just as dangerous if not more." Natsu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I thought it was the better option."

"It was Natsu, more than you know." Lucy smiled brightly up at him, turned and continued walking. He seemed rather taken aback by her words but soon followed behind her a small smile on his face.

Eventually they reached the exaggerated large doors of the palace. Natsu banged on the door obnoxiously; Lucy found it hard to breath. She wasn't ready for this! Before she could turn around and high tail it out of there the door opened. A tall older gentleman in a suit looked at them.

"Yes?"

"Hello sir, we were wondering if Mr. Ratchin was available to see us right now?" Lucy asked politely, her old princess qualities kicking in.

"I'm afraid the master is busy at the moment." The man spoke again, some kind of accent coming out.

"Please sir, could you ask him if he would see us? If only for a moment? It was a dreadfully long walk up here." Lucy continued, the level of sweetness in her voice felt like it could give her cavities. She even waved a hand towards her face for dramatics.

"Very well, please come in. Have a seat." The man opened the door, arm swinging out to show them the couches in the rather large waiting room.

The man took off and Lucy and Natsu sat down. Immediately Natsu turned towards her.

"What the hell was that?"

"What?" She responded confused about the weird look she was giving him.

"That whole 'sir' and 'please' and little miss oh so sweet thing you just did?"

"That is how I was taught to act around those of high status Natsu, that's how I was expected to act at all times. Just, let me do the talking." Lucy scoffed at him.

"It's really creepy." He stated, eyes wondering all around the room.

She rolled her eyes; yeah, she guessed it was a little creepy to those who weren't used to it. Though, Natsu probably thought the manners were the creepy part.

"This place is huge." Natsu awed at the high ceilings and gold plated furniture.

"Yeah, well…when people have a lot of money they like to buy a big house to show it off sometimes…" Lucy muttered. They had originally had their palace because they were royalty, but once her step father took over he had just used it for publicity and bragging rights. He stopped putting money out into the town and kept it all for himself. The town had been in shambles even before he did that.

"Well, this place is still pretty cool." Natsu chuckled, holding up a very intricately embroidered pillow.

"I think it just looks lonely." Lucy said before she could stop herself.

"Indeed, it is quite lonely. I'm sure one of such stature as yourself would be able to understand that. It is a pleasure to finally meet you Princess Heartfilia." A tall dark haired man took her hand. She had not even noticed he had come into the room. He politely kissed her hand in the same way Lucy had been greeted before in her princess days, apparently Natsu didn't appreciate it much as she heard something that resembled a growl come from him.

She realized he had actually used her name, he knew who she was.

"I assure you, I am princess no more. Not even a Heartfilia, the name only bears unhappy memories now." Lucy stated, taking her hand back. The man straightened a small smile on his lips.

"Of course, I had heard about your misfortune. I had also heard you had passed. Some unfortunate run in with pirates? Yet here you are, I am pleased to see you are in good health. If not in good company."

Natsu responded with a glare. Ratchin chuckled quietly.

"Forgive me; I have yet to introduce myself. I am Sir Ratchin, being a descendant of royalty myself I have indeed heard about you, if I may be so bold I had wished originally to eventually ask for your hand." Ratchin spoke softly, a smile still on his lips.

Lucy completely flushed, he was being bold. Probably a little too bold. She found it rather flattering that he had thought of her that way, he was a rather good looking guy himself. Tall, dark, and handsome. The typical storybook prince. He was clearly a few years older than her, no more than five years though. Ratchin's eyes were a vibrant green and he was well versed and trained in the etiquette of the royals.

As soon as he spoke those words she could feel the tension in the air, Natsu was awfully stiff beside her.

"Well, you heard her. She isn't a princess anymore so…" Natsu muttered defensively.

Lucy had to bite down on her lip to not smile. That was rich coming from Natsu, who still called her 'princess' on occasion.

"So what is it that brings you to my humble abode?" He asked, eyes flickering to Natsu as he scoffed at the word 'humble'.

"And who may you be young sir?" Ratchin finally turned to face Natsu, standing a good foot taller.

"Na-None of your business."

Lucy was shocked to say the least at Natsu's blatant display of rudeness but to her surprise Ratchin threw his head back and laughed. It echoed in the large room. If Natsu acted like…well himself they probably wouldn't get the money.

"Oh, feisty. Natsu Dragneel right? I had heard that the Fairy Tail Pirates had been spotted around the disappearance of Miss Heartfilia here. I figured you had been the culprit."

Natsu just growled in response.

"Oh come now, don't be so grumpy. What are a couple of pirates doing in my place? Not that it's really a bad thing." Ratchin asked. Lucy noticed how his speech had steadily gotten less formal when talking to Natsu.

"Well, that is troubling business.. we…" Lucy struggled to find the words to describe their situation.

"Our ship sank and we need money for a new one." Natsu said flat out, resulting in another bout of boisterous laughter from Ratchin.

"I like this guy, doesn't beat around the bush much."

"Um…Cana sent us. She said you would be able to help." Lucy piped up, forgetting about formalities, Ratchin wasn't really using them anymore. She assumed he was bored of them now or something. He was rather peculiar.

"Oh. Cana did did she? Then I'm sure she told you it comes with a price." Ratchin's mood slipped darker, more mysterious than before. Lucy didn't like this…one bit.

"Um…yes." She muttered, eyes staring at the floor.

"She did? When?" Natsu sputtered, trying to keep up with the conversation.

"I heard about Tim's latest offer for the boat, quite ridiculous but I can match it for a _price_. Well, let's get started then. Go when you're ready." Ratchin plopped into a chair a little ways away, facing the two guests.

Right here? Right in front of Natsu? This was so embarrassing.

She took a step forwards, her fingers brushing the hem of her shirt as she prepared to pull it off. Maybe she could do this quick like a band aid, before she could even get the hem past her belly button Ratchin spoke up.

"What are you doing? Not you. _Him_." Ratchin pointed towards Natsu.

She deadpanned, immediately releasing her shirt. What?

What?

Natsu?

He wanted Natsu to?

What?

"What?" Her brain finally spluttered out.

"I want him to strip."

"What!" Natsu's enraged yelled sounded behind her, causing her to jump slightly.

"Yeah, well just take your shirt off."Ratchin said, as if it was completely normal.

Lucy whirled around, surprised to see Natsu's face a little redder than normal as he stared at the other man. His eyes met hers and narrowed.

"You knew about this! Were you going to strip in front of him? Why the hell would you do that? What kind of sick bastard is he? Why wouldn't you tell me?" His questions came out so fast it sounded like he said all of them at once, his arms flailing in all directions with his words.

"Oh, the plot thickens!" Ratchin cackled as he watched the conversation, Natsu throwing out a loud 'Shut up' in his direction.

"Yes Natsu I knew. But you get it don't you? It was either this or we stay on the island for a while and we could be caught!"

"No, I don't get it. You lied to me."

"No actually I didn't. You never asked me if there was a price with it."

"You lied!"

"You didn't ask that specific question."

"That's a form of lying!"

Lucy heaved out a big sigh. "Natsu, I wasn't going to stay on this island for a long time and risk getting caught."

"I wouldn't let you get caught; no one outside the crew even knows your part of the Fairy Tail pirates. You could just pretend to be a civilian and stay here."

"Your suggesting I say that I am not part of the crew if we get caught?"

"Yeah. You could just say we kidnapped you."

"Natsu, there is so many things wrong with that I don't even know where to begin."

"Well it's still better than stripping in front of a stranger! Was that the only thing you were going to do? What else were you going to do!"

"No. I was just going to show some skin Nat-"

"Show some skin! What the hell Lucy!"

She could tell that he was trying to keep his voice down but he was mad and was beginning to fail at it. He was steadily getting louder; Ratchin's chuckling was still managing to seep through Natsu's words though.

"I just wanted to save the crew."

Natsu faltered at that, he rubbed his face in exasperation.

"It's not your place to do that alone. Not without telling me _all the details_ first so I can judge if it's a good plan or not. _This _was not a good plan and I would not have let you do it." Natsu sighed. Lucy stared at the ground. They still needed the money right? They really needed it.

"Well…now it's up to you." Lucy looked up at him, trying not to give away any expression. Maybe they could still do this. Maybe she could just convince him.

"You can't be serious."

"Natsu, I was willing to and I'm a woman. You taking your shirt off is a lot different." Lucy proposed, still not showing a single thing. Her poker face was on the verge of breaking though when she saw pink start to creep onto his face. This was a weird situation and honestly…she found it quite humorous. Trying to convince Natsu to strip for a guy. Who knows, maybe being a pirate is like this all the time. Suddenly it all make sense, that's why Cana had been wearing that smirk the whole time, and why she had insisted she brought along Natsu. Cana had known all along the sneaky little-

"There's no way Lucy. I wouldn't let you do this."

"Yeah, but I'd let you do this."

"That's awful. I can't believe you would put your Captain in this kind of a position."

"Okay, well I guess I'll go back and tell the crew that we couldn't get any money because their Captain refused to simply take his shirt off."

"When you put it that way it sounds stupid."

"This is stupid Natsu. Be a man and do it."

Natsu stared at her, bewildered of what she was asking him to do. His mouth hung agape for a few moments.

"I can't believe you are serious. You're really asking me to do this?"

"I'm asking you on behalf of the entire crew, to save your entire crew, yes."

Natsu's stare turned into a glare, holding for a full minute, trying to find some kind of leeway. Lucy didn't allow any. As soon as he abruptly turned around to face Ratchin her poker face broke down and a huge smile. Had she just convinced one of the most notorious pirate Captains to strip in front of a guy for money?

When he reached up to undo his shirt she realized she just had.

"We'd better get the full amount for this."

"Absolutely." Rachin muttered with a wink.

She could literally see Natsu shudder. Shaking his head the whole time in some kind of mini rebellion he undid his shirt and pulled it off. Lucy wondered what kind of facial expression he was wearing right now. Once the shirt was off he just let in fall to the floor in defeat. And there he stood half naked in front of the two of them, obviously he was tense and to his dismay it just made his muscles flex and stand out even more. She was pretty sure he was holding his breath too.

Her eyes bore into Ratchin the whole time, now she was torn between being angry at him for embarrassing the pirate Captain or thinking this whole situation was hilarious. She watched as Ratchin raised his hand and swung his index finger in a circle to indicate for Natsu to turn around in a full turn. At first Natsu shook his head in refusal but Ratchin gave him a look and did the action again.

Painfully, Natsu began to turn around, his gaze finding anything other than Lucy. She had to cover her smile with her hand. She had never seen his face so red before. Now she felt bad. Okay, not _that _bad.

Once he completed the little turn Ratchin stood up.

"Okay, now the pants."

"FU-"

"Just kidding! I'm just kidding! Geez." Ratchin laughed.

"Well, that was enjoyable. I'll be right back with your payment." With another wink towards Natsu he left the room.

The Captain's top was back on faster than Lucy could blink.

"You happy now?" Natsu growled at her whipping around to face her.

Her face was struggling to frown and smile at the same time. She felt bad for putting him through that but that obvious blush on his face was so endearing at the same time.

"Well…we did get the money." Lucy shrugged trying to see the bright side.

"I can't believe you made me do that."

"I didn't make you. I coaxed you into doing it yourself."

"Oh god, that's even worse." Natsu groaned, putting his face in his hands and plopping back down onto the couch.

"Just think of how happy the crew will be when they know that thanks to their Captain they will be getting off the island much faster?" Lucy gently sat down beside him. His head jolted up and he looked at her seriously.

"We are _not _telling them what happened here. This does _not _leave this room. That is an order, and you can't get around that, no half telling people the story either." Natsu said, a glare making the end of his sentence solid.

"Yeah, they would find it too hilarious."

"_Lucy._" He pleaded, looking at her with what she assumed was puppy eyes.

"I would never Natsu, I think you've been through enough by just doing it."

He groaned again and hid his face slumping back into the couch.

"I'm back!" Ratchin's voice sounded, a large briefcase in his grasp. Lucy stood up as he walked over to him, Natsu refused to even stand let alone look at the guy.

"Okay, so I will give you this on one more condition." Ratchin started, earning a very vicious glare from Natsu, who began to stand.

"You said-"

"Now hold on, this is an optional condition. You'll get the whole payment either way." Ratchin explained, shoving the briefcase over to Natsu, who took it greedily.

"I was wondering if you would investigate something for me. The ship is going to take at most 2 weeks to build, as long as your crew contributes. During that time I was hoping that you two could look around a bit. I know that we have Shipeaters just off the coast of our island; you are not the first ones to come asking for money for a new ship. Tim is taking advantage of the situation, being as greedy as he wants and seeing how much he can get out of me. I haven't given money to everyone who has come asking, but his plan is still succeeding. I need you to catch him red handed."

"Why don't you just get rid of the Shipeaters?" Lucy suggested.

"I have, but they just keep mysteriously reappearing. Someone is reintroducing them to the area around the island. They were supposed to be completely fished out for a reason. Someone has an endless supply of them though it seems and I need you to find out whom."

"Why don't you just do it?"

"It's hard enough for me to find time to walk around asking questions, I usually get hounded for money in town."

"So why not give it out? I'm sure people would appreciate it if you did it without a _price_." Natsu spat the last word.

"People are greedy, they will ask even if they don't actually need it. If I did that, I'd be the poor one. Just let me know what you find if you decide to look around. It would help the town out a lot; we are getting a bad name because of those fish. People are going to stop coming around and everyone will lose business." Ratchin explained.

"Except Tim…that's why he's asking for such high prices, he's hoarding the money for the inevitable! He'll be one of the few people with enough money to live comfortably when customers stop coming to the island!" Lucy said, it all made sense.

"Exactly. Well, thank you for the visit I'm sorry but I must excuse myself now. It was most enjoyable. Have a pleasant evening." Ratchin nodded politely, suddenly changing back into formalities.

Lucy turned towards the door, seeing Natsu already there. A desperate look on his face to leave.

"Thank-you sir for your…hospitality." She mused, feeling Natsu twitch at her words. Ratchin walked behind her to the door, placing a medium sized bag into her hand behind her back.

Nonchalantly she turned her head to him and whispered.

"What is this for?"

"You'll see."

Once she was beside Natsu Ratchin opened the door, allowing the two to walk out.

"See ya."Ratchin laughed, moving quicker than she thought possible his hand swung out and landed a swift pat to Natsu's bottom who stumbled forward in surprise. Before he could even form a reaction the door was shut and she heard the clicks of many locks a loud cackle coming from the other side. They didn't move for a few moments. Natsu's fists clenched and she could see him practically vibrating out of anger. His poor face constantly changing from anger for disgust over and over.

Lucy could hardly believe that just happened. She held up the bag of what she thought were jewels of some sort. Well, that explained her question of what they were for. One last little treat for Ratchin. Natsu noticed the bag and stared at it like it had just grown a head.

It was obvious what it looked like…like Lucy had just sold him out again.

"_LUCY!"_

* * *

"Sir?"

"Yes?" Ratchin replied to his butler, Agnus, politely.

"Mind explaining what all of that was?"

"You already know Agnus."

"Mind explaining to me again? I seem to fail to understand the concept still."

Ratchin turned with a smile on his face.

"Anyone can ask for money Agnus, but only the ones that truly need it are willing to do things that embarrass them horribly. Both of them care so much for their crew that they were willing to strip for me! I mean, did you see the look on that guy's face!" Ratchin cackled. "I've never seen someone so uncomfortable in my life! It was most enjoyable. Not only that but I want the Fairy Tail pirates back on the sea again. They've done good work and if I dare say, the government has become violent and riddled with a disgusting excuse for a form of leadership. If I can get them back on the sea to keep doing good then I certainly will."

"And the…quest sir?"

"I want to try to protect this town at least a little. They may not like me but that doesn't mean they all have to go out of business. I'll play my silent part to help."

"And the last part there, where you showed them the exit with a little bit of a…um…flare? I'm afraid for your reputation sir."

"I'm not gay, and being called gay isn't even tarnish to my reputation. I don't really find it all that insulting. That last part was just for laughs though. I gave her some little things from the vault, she was willing to strip in front of me, I felt awful. I hope she buys something nice with it for herself. I had always felt bad about her living in that Heartfilia estate, her step-father was a real douche."

"Sir, your language."

"Oh sorry…"

"Honestly I have no idea where you learned that language from."

"But he was one. Lucy has had a hard life; her mother was a saint, I was sad to hear her go. Though, I don't think she knows of what her mother was. Not many people did. I was one of the very few she told personally, she had trusted me for some reason. That was when I was a child however, Lucy was very young. I'm not surprised she does not remember me. I hope that she gets the little hint that I put in the bag for her." Ratchin's words slipped into a mumble as he begun to talk more so to himself.

"I'm glad to see she's happy now though. Anyway, we should get something to eat." He said once he came out of his brief stupor.

"Very well sir."

* * *

Natsu didn't turn around as they walked back. Clearly this was the 'silent' treatment. They had taken a quick peek into the briefcase and when they had seen everything in order they took off back to town. Natsu's pace a little faster so he walked ahead, absolutely refusing to talk or even look at her. At the moment Lucy didn't really mind, she was too busy looking through her little bag of goodies. Just because she wasn't a princess anymore doesn't mean that she couldn't appreciate treasure, plus she was a pirate now and that quality was shared among her crew.

There were a few high grade rubies, diamonds, emeralds and other various jewels and gold but something else caught her eye.

Instantly she withdrew it from the bag and stare at it intently. It was a key. Silver in color and it looked old, not rusty but something about it signified an age far beyond her own. The base of the key had a green cross on it, she wondered how it had stayed so green throughout it's years. Also, painted behind the cross was a white diamond. The blade of the key was almost sharp to the touch. The cross theme continued in the bottom of the key, the metal formed around the shape of a cross. Looking closer she noticed intricate swirls in the metal, whoever had forged this had given it a lot of detail.

What kind of door was this key for?

Her thoughts were interrupted as he foot struck an unusually large rock on the path. Of course she had not been watching where she had been walking. Her fingers gripped around the key protectively trying not to drop it when she hit the ground.

The ground never came, Natsu came quicker. It wasn't gentle but he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of her stumble and back to her feet all in one go. Her arm throbbed lightly under his grasp and she looked up at him. Surprisingly enough he didn't say anything but just gave her a look. That one 'look' made her feel awful. He obviously wasn't over what had happened at the palace yet. His mouth a firm straight line he stared at her for a few seconds before letting her go and continuing on. Lucy didn't follow, unconsciously putting the key into her pocket.

"Look…Natsu…I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry it turned out like that." She said, loud enough for him to hear.

"It's not just that that is buggin' me. I mean look!" He swiveled around holding out the briefcase. "What guy gives out 30 million to a guy to take his shirt off! 30 million!"

She tried to ignore the way his face turned red again.

"A really rich guy with a thing for pirates?" She muttered watching his mouth open and close silently in a fluster.

"No, even then, this is a ridiculous amount of money Luce."

She nodded, she didn't get it herself.

"Not only that but did you realize how long it took him to put all of this into a briefcase? Like 5 minutes. It takes longer than that to count up 30 million and put it in a briefcase Lucy, he knew we were coming."

Lucy was quite surprised at his observations, though she knew the answer to the second question. It was no question Cana's doing.

"Yeah that was probably the barmaid, she probably told Ratchin we were coming." Lucy stated.

"So that's where you got the whole stripping idea from?" Natsu inquired.

"Yeah, and you would've known sooner if you didn't leave me alone in a bar. Anyway, I think that Ratchin was just being generous because we really needed the money."

"Still, there is generous and then there is ridiculous."

"Well then we should make it up to him by doing that 'optional request' of his." Lucy decided.

"Yeah yeah, it's not the only thing that's bugging me…"

There was that weird look again.

"Well, what else is bugging you?" Lucy asked, slightly exasperated. He abruptly dropped the briefcase and stalked up to her.

"I would not have done _that_" He gestured back to the palace, "in a million years. Now tell me, how the hell you managed to convince me to in under five minutes?" Natsu huffed at her and she had to resist the urge to laugh.

"Oh, just because I am irresistibly convincing, and charming." She added cockily.

"Just…how the hell did you? How did you get me to do that?" He muttered ignoring her last comment.

The question held stagnant in the air for a few moments, he was obviously rather torn up about this that much was clear. Now she sighed.

"It's not that weird Natsu, seriously you had to for your team. Your team's life was on the line, you would've done anything for them so calm down." She muttered waving her hand in the air in an attempt to dismiss the conversation.

Apparently Natsu caught on because he started to walk forward again.

Lucy almost stumbled again, it was meant to be whispered just under his breath so she couldn't hear it but…with an opportune gust of wind it had carried it to her ears and she had heard it clearly.

"Then why do I have the feeling that if the crew wasn't involved I still would've done it for you?"

* * *

**And there we are, I have finally finished another chapter. Please let me know what you thought.  
There will be even mooore plot twists later so that'll be fun.  
**

**THANKYOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! Like wow guys, over 530 reviews *_* that's crazy. I'm glad you guys like it so much, hope you continue to like it ^^'  
**

**Someone mentioned, well asked, why aren't they talking like pirates? Well...like arg and stuff? I don't want to do a typical piratey thing to it. If they were really pirates they'd be raping and pillaging and stuff hahah. This is closer to the One Piece type of pirates, which is also a fantastic manga/anime which you should read.  
**

**I'm trying my best not to follow the exact feel of One Piece though...even if they still want to overrun the government in both haha buuuuut yeah.  
**

**I tried to get someone to edit my story but they haven't gotten back to me yet T.T so I just decided to try my best and update. Hopefully she will get back to me soon ^^  
**

**Thanks for reading!  
**


	12. Steak Out

**I know, talk about a long wait on this update. Sorry everyone, I just can't find the time lately to work on it BUT I managed to today so here you have it.**

**And to everyone who is asking don't worry I do plan on finishing this story...which is going ****to be****hella**** long but I won't just give up on it.**

**Thankyou so much to everyone who reviewed that makes me so happy!**

**Follow me on ****Tumblr**** if you would like ^^ ****theleesup****tumblr****. com**

**Enjoy~~~**

* * *

The production of the Dragon II had started and was on its way to becoming their next home. Once Natsu and Lucy got back to town they met up with the rest of their small crew and discussed what was to be done. It had been a quick discussion actually, Natsu had explained quickly.

There had been lots of questions about where the money came from, Natsu had watched Lucy the whole time she explained, a lie of course. She had said that she had known Ratchin before which was a partial truth since they were both royalty and he simply agreed to help her out since they had been acquaintances before. Natsu almost breathed an obvious sigh of relief when she didn't tell them what actually happened.

Happy and Charle were sent back to the other members of the crew to report what had happened and to tell them to make their way to town. All the possessions would have to be left there near the shore, hidden until the ship was done. They were asked to bring anything they would need for the next week or so. That was when the fun part began, Tim's face was surprised at first when they handed the money over and he quickly made a grab for it. Erza refused to pay him the full amount, saying half before and half after the ship was built would be a fine way of payment.

Tim reluctantly agreed but seemed happy enough to get so many workers to help build the ship, or maybe it was just because he had just come into possession of a fortune. Natsu spoke of specifics that he would need, obviously he wanted a larger ship, men's quarters, women's quarters and his own. A kitchen, two separate bathrooms, one in the girl's quarters. The women's quarters was going to be a lot larger than before, which Lucy was grateful for, especially if they got more female companions in the crew. She hoped they would, Erza was nice but sometimes Lucy felt like Erza was one of the guys more than a fellow female. Lucy really liked her but she wanted someone who she could more easily relate to, Wendy was still so young and Lucy would be dammed if she started talking seriously to cats on a regular basis.

Once the actual crew got there they started up the ship immediately, using Tim's equipment to start with the frame. Tim had a large basement, as it was now it was rather empty but a few large piles of different types of wood.

Erza downright refused to pay him 30 million if he didn't use the best wood he had. She searched the basement with him, finding a reserve of his best wood. Tim seemed reluctant to let it go but he caved in when Erza gave him the stink eye. Erza's glare could pretty much convince anyone. The crew used their leftover reserves to rent out rooms at a hotel nearby; girl's had their own room of course. It was a small hotel but seemed rather homey.

"So Tim has only lived in this town for about a year? And his prices have always been ridiculous?" Lucy asked, tightening the towel around her as she walked out of the bathroom.

"Yes, the Shipeaters have appeared about 9 months ago and since they appeared his prices have gone up." Erza commented, lifting the sheets for her bed and crawling in.

"Not many people in this town like Tim do they?" Wendy's voice came from another bed in the room.

"Well of course not. The way he is overpricing everything is disrespectful." Charle stated, curling up in the bed with Wendy. "His prices take business away from other stores. Not to mention if people get word there is Shipeaters around here they won't come close to this island."

"He seems like a bad guy most of the time but even though he's kind of a jerk and it ripping us off big time sometimes I catch this look in his eyes. He looks…sad." Lucy pulled on her pajamas.

"Or maybe he is looking for sympathy as well, so you don't feel so bad for giving him millions. You and Natsu are going around town tomorrow to try and dig up stuff about him right?" Erza sat up a bit and clicked off her lamp. A few of them had heard about the 'optional quest' from Ratchin and they had pooled together all the information they had gathered the other day when they were separated. "I am to stay and direct the ship building; I would like Wendy there just in case something goes wrong. We need our doctor." Erza smiled down at the small girl. "I'm sure Natsu could defend you if something goes array."

"Yeah, hopefully we can find something but couldn't we just blackmail him into making out ship for free if we did find something?" Lucy thought out loud, she could defend herself too.

"That's definitely thinking like a pirate, but blackmailing usually means making a deal of some sort. Not telling in exchange for a ship could have its consequences. We would be 30 million richer but the townsfolk would still be out of business if Tim continued with his Shipeaters. If he is responsible that is. If we get caught trying to find dirt on him then he may refuse to build our ship, he could easily notify the government. I don't think he knows we are pirates yet so just be very careful tomorrow. We will think about this later, goodnight girls." With that the last light was flicked off in the room and the girls drifted off to sleep. Lucy snuggled into the bedding, she found herself unable to sleep for a while. She missed the ship rocking her to sleep; nodding off she found she was already attached to the sea life.

* * *

Lucy got ready, spending a little extra time on herself in the morning. She told herself that it was to persuade any men who were being tight with information. Hey, she didn't mind looking good. She had a whole day to run around the town with Natsu and she was a little excited about it, not that she would say it. It seemed like it would be fun actually. Everyone left the hotel at the same time, Natsu, Lucy and Happy splitting off from the large group that headed towards Tim's place.

"I was thinking we should go back to Cana, she seemed to know a lot of information. She helped us get the money anyway."

"Cana? Yeah, let's go see her. That whole thing was her fault."

Lucy smiled at his attempt to look angry; though it had been awkward it had all worked out for the best. The ship was on its way to be built, everyone was still okay and they should be able to get off the island relatively soon. Things were looking up. Maybe she should knock on wood after thinking that.

"We should get some fish." Happy purred quietly, curled up in Lucy's arms as they walked. Happy was steadily growing on Lucy as time wore on. She enjoyed petting his fur; it seemed to calm both of them at times.

"Well, let's see if we can get any information first. We should eat closer to lunch. How about we walk down to the docks later and see if we can get any fresh ones?" Lucy almost laughed at the excited look in the cats eyes. "So…where should we start?" Lucy began, only to turn around to nothing. "Natsu?"

"Hey do you know anything about Shipeaters?"

She heard his voice over to her left, asking a random citizen who seemed stunned at the sudden attention but only shook his head. Natsu side stepped to the next person and repeated the question. A giggle escaped her lips; of course his method would be straight forward. She joined in, why the heck not?

"Excuse me sir? What do you know about Tim the shipwright?" Lucy started.

Three hours passed and they had gathered some information, honestly Lucy's findings seemed a little bit more useful than Natsu's.

Since Natsu's questions were all about the fish he found that they are small dark and grey, like to eat ships and were mostly mouth. Most of what they had already figured out the hard way. They apparently didn't taste good either but are considered a delicacy in some places because they are so rare. Happy lost interest after he heard they weren't tasty.

Lucy found some info she already knew as well, among new. Tim had arrived to the island about a year ago; he had been quite kind at first only having smaller bursts of uncharacteristic anger here and there. With time he grew steadily more and more unhappy and his prices of ships steadily grew. Once people couldn't afford the prices the Shipeaters appeared, it seemed obvious that it was Tim's doing. But one of the weirdest things she heard was that Tim never really spent his money, he never bought anything expensive and lived off of a poor man's diet. Only one cheap meal a day, sometimes he even skipped meals. His house seemed like a charity case, one time he even sold all of his furniture and there were rumours he slept on the floor now. He only bought wood on occasion and made ships. No one knew where his money was going. This made Lucy increasingly curious, was he saving it for when the island went out of business? Apparently Tim had always been like that since he came to the island though, even before the Shipeaters his money was nowhere to be seen. Did he have a debt to pay somewhere? Had he been a gambler beforehand? Lucy made a mental note to check out the casino.

He was secretive about it, people had asked but he immediately shut him out. Eventually Tim had become quiet and stayed in his house most of the time, secluded from the townsfolk.

Then they were off to Cana's.

The bar was empty when they got there, Cana was sitting on a table looking more like a customer as she chugged wine than a waitress.

"Oh hey Lucy. Did you guys have a nice tip to Ratchin?" Cana hiccupped as she climbed off the table.

"No." Natsu growled.

"Thank-you for the information Cana, it came in most helpful." Lucy interrupted over Natsu's continued rant.

"I guess it all worked out then? Skin was shown?" Cana chuckled, directing the sentence over at Natsu knowingly who had suddenly turned around to look back out the door. "I'll take that as a yes. You know, that means I won the bet."

Lucy felt the air literally darken as those words reached Natsu's ears. The way Cana worded that made it sound like Lucy had known what was going to happen the whole time.

"What?" Another growl from Natsu.

"No, that bet was that I'd give in and show skin! Natsu had nothing to do with it."

"I don't recall saying you'd show skin, just that skin would be shown. Which it was, so you have to keep your part of the bargain."

"What bargain was this?"

"Natsu I'm serious I didn't even know I had entered into a bet of any kind."

"You shook on it." Cana piped in.

"You shook on a bet you didn't know you were making?" Natsu muttered over to her.

"I thought it was more of a joking bet than a real one..." Lucy countered, now that she thought about it the word 'bet' had been mentioned but it hadn't seemed serious at the time.

"Well, what do you want then?" Natsu turned to Cana.

Lucy dreaded what was to happen next. What did Cana want? Money? They didn't have any to spare. Or maybe Lucy could give her some of her jewels. Maybe Cana wanted them to kill someone, they were pirates after all. They didn't always follow the law but they were assassins either.

"Let me join your crew."

"What!" The word left her lips like more of a shout than anything. Lucy had not seen that coming.

"Fine."

"Wait, what!" How could he just agree so suddenly! He didn't even know her at all.

"When we are ready to leave I expect you to be ready to go by the docks." Natsu continued.

"Okay, Captain."

"Now hold on a second. Why do you even want to become a pirate?" Lucy kept her voice hush in case someone was close by outside.

"I would like to meet a certain person along the way, plus I'm bored of living in this town. Nothing ever happens here anyway." Cana explained; smile wide on her face as she picked up another bottle of wine.

"You know anything else about Tim?" The Captain asked striding over to the door now.

"Not much, he comes in here occasionally. One of the most depressing people I know when he drinks, doesn't look like he is enjoying life too much. Doesn't talk much though."

Natsu just nodded as he stepped back outside, Lucy stared at Cana for a bit longer.

"Better go catch up with your boyfriend." Cana winked at her.

"He is not my boyfriend." Lucy chuckled a bit exasperated, looks like Cana was the latest addition to the crew. She ran out the door after Natsu. Realizing Happy was still in her arms she looked down and was relieved to see he had been asleep during that last bit of conversation. That would be a whole new problem in itself.

"Natsu? How can you just let Cana join like that? You don't even know her." Lucy asked, catching up to his stride.

"Well, for one it was a bet and you shouldn't go back on your word even if you didn't know it was a bet..." he smiled a bit when he said that, "and she helped us out even though she knew who we were, if she was a bad person she'd have called the government and turned us in for the reward. That's good enough for me, as long as she keeps her mouth shut."

Lucy laughed, stopping suddenly when she saw a man selling fish on the side of the road, giving Natsu a gentle elbow she nodded over at the stand. Natsu smirked and they headed over.

* * *

Lucy and Natsu had been discussing everything over lunch, well…she had been talking to him while he shoved food into his mouth and nodded at her. It continued on like that for a while until someone walked into the little café they were in. Lucy recognized him instantly as Ratchin's butler. The sight of the man even made Natsu's eating cease. Natsu automatically glared at the man, remembering what had transpired under their roof. Lucy smiled politely at him as he approached and gave a small bow with her head; some people stared over at them intently.

"Ratchin sent me to town today to deliver this message to you. Have a nice day Miss Heartfilia."

Before Lucy could correct him on her name he was gone, a white envelope in her hand. Under the watchful eyes of Natsu she opened it up, unfolding the letter inside and began reading.

_Dear Lucy, _

_I assume you have found some information __regarding__ Tim by now, I took the liberty of removing the __Shipeaters__ from the waters last night. A ship should have arrived by now and Tim would have gotten wind of it. I assure you he will be releasing more __Shipeaters__ tonight under the cloak of darkness. Do your best to catch him in the act and stop this foolishness. I am not sure where he will be releasing the fish but I'm sure you can figure that out on your own, with the help of __Natsu__. Please try your best to keep this quiet, if Tim hears of any of this is will just escalate the situation. Thank-you very much for your time and effort, it is much appreciated._

_Sincerely, _

_Ratchin_

_P.S. Please say hello to __Natsu__ and give him a wink for me. Haha. _

"What does it say?" Natsu's voice was grave when regarding anything close to Ratchin.

"Ratchin says hi to you and gives you a wink." Lucy chortled.

"It does not say that!" Natsu ripped the letter away from her and stared at it hopelessly. Sure enough he found the words and he ripped the paper up fiercely but Lucy still saw that brief moment where his face turned red.

She should get Ratchin to join the crew just so she could see that face more often.

"So, how should we go about this? We know that Tim is probably going to sneak out tonight so should we stay near the docks? Try to catch him red handed? Or should we get the island's authorities involved?" Lucy wondered out loud.

"No, if they get involved they are going to want to know who we are. Not only that but we want Tim out of jail so he can finish the ship. I think we should just keep an eye on him and see if he goes anywhere tonight. It'll be a stakeout!"

"But I don't like steak; can it be a fish out?" Happy piped in. Happy had been enjoying the fish they had gotten him fully. Lucy gave him a face as Natsu began to bicker with him that he thought steak was better.

Actually, the conversation lasted fifteen minutes and it was starting to grate on Lucy's nerves. It had been a miracle no one else had noticed the cat talking yet.

"Okay, so we have agreed that we will meet at the hotel when it gets dark?" Lucy interrupted the conversation that was turning into an odd combination of the words 'fish' and 'steak'.

"What? Why? Where are you going?" Natsu muttered through a large mouthful of steak. Of course it was steak.

"I was going to look around town a bit myself. Maybe buy some pants or something…" She mumbled the last part somewhat embarrassed by the vast arrangement of short skirts she had in her possession.

"So you wanna go by yourself?"

"Well, I don't think you'd enjoy it." She meant it, he probably wouldn't. Though it would be amusing to see him carrying her bags for her.

"Why? I can shop and stuff."

"You're going to be bored."

"I'm not really worried about being bored…"

It took her a few seconds to understand what he meant. He was worried about _her_?

"Look Natsu, it's still bright out I'll head back home before it gets dark out okay? You should probably go check up on the ship and the rest of your crew anyway especially if it's true that Tim is the crook we think he is." Lucy explained, trying her best to ignore the dejected look on his face. Happy didn't seem to even notice their conversation at the moment; he was pleased with the large fish he was currently ingesting. His stomach was comically huge and Lucy wondered for a brief moment if that was normal or not.

"I'll see you two later okay? I'll meet you in front of the hotel at dark." And with that she was off.

The three hours she spent out shopping went well, a few stores in town were fairly priced and some of the more expensive places had sale items. Lucy decided to buy good deals and get as many clothes for as little money as possible. It seemed that at some points they were going to be very poor so she might as well prepare for those times by saving as much money as possible. Plus she had the feeling that she would probably ruin clothes on a regular basis, if she was a pirate her clothes were going to get wrecked on occasion that was just a given.

The people were friendly and the walkways were all lit. Even the owners of the stores were kind and helped her find the perfect fit.

And Natsu had been following her the whole damn time.

Sometimes he would even get distracted and be standing out in the middle of the street right in her view. He had to be one of the worst stalkers ever. In a way it irked her how he couldn't allow her to be on her own, like she couldn't take care of herself.

Lucy could, she had two guns on her in fact, hidden ones but they were still there. She wasn't a helpless princess anymore and he should really stop treating her like one. She did her best to pretend not to see him, she wasn't sure why exactly. The thought crossed her mind to yell at him in public and try her best to embarrass him so he wouldn't go through with the same plan again.

At the same time she thought it was sweet how he was trying to protect her, from what she didn't know. But the feeling of helplessness overrode it and she felt a little more pissed than happy about it.

Instead, she decided to have some fun with it. She knocked her speed up a few notches and took quick unpredictable turns. To her amusement she heard him knock over stands and people to keep up with her, yelling out apologies here and there. She didn't dare turn around but she felt her eyes fill with tears as she struggled not to burst out laughing.

Seriously, worst stalker ever.

He had the brains to wait for a few minutes after she arrived at the hotel at dark before he approached her.

"Hey Luce, how was shopping?"

He was smiling away like he was so clever.

"Um…it was nice…though I had the feeling I was being watched the whole time." Lucy muttered keeping the smile hidden beneath her skin. She watched him squirm uncomfortably for a moment. Who's clever now?

"R-really? Did you see who it was?"

Really? Could he be any more obvious?

"No, but I'm sure he was sick. What kind of sick bastard stalks a girl all day? What a pervert."

She had to pinch herself to not smile that time, his face had dropped at the idea of being called a pervert.

"I'm sure he had his reasons?"

Lucy gave him a look, a child would see through this façade.

"Yeah, his perverted reasons." She countered, "I bet he was just waiting for me to go into a dark alleyway so he could jump me and-"

"Okay! Well, let's go!" Natsu interrupted as he spun on his heel and started down the road, now she smiled. Guess he was the worst liar ever too.

Lucy had purposely worn the warmest clothes she had bought today, along with the darkest ones she had so she could blend into the darkness. She fervently enjoyed how she couldn't feel the cold wind on her bare legs, pants were wonderful too. Natsu had done the same, actually changing out of the brighter clothes he had worn while chasing her around today. Completely oblivious it seemed to the fact that he did not blend into any dark backgrounds…either did his blue cat. At least he was wearing his black toque or she would have had to stop and talk to him about stealth, pink hair is honestly the opposite.

They walked in silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts until they arrived at Tim's house. It was quiet and there no lights on inside the house. They settled in behind some bushes so they could see any exits Tim could take. It was a small house but it was separated from the other town's buildings, darker looking and it creaked with heavy winds. Tim obviously didn't put any effort into up keeping it. The only thing Tim seemed interested in was working and getting money…but why? Lucy was pretty set on him having to pay off a debt but even earlier when she had asked the townspeople they said he never showed any signs of a gambling problem, the small casino in town said he had never even stepped foot into their casino. So was it a debt from wherever he had come from before this island?

Her brow furrowed in frustration, Ratchin was right to doubt this man and be suspicious of him. There was something up with him. Something wasn't adding up.

"I can hear him moving, I think he's coming outside." Natsu whispered in her ear startling her out of her thoughts. He moved a finger to his lips to signal for her to be quiet; she nodded and found herself holding her breath in order to hear Tim.

She heard nothing but the serious look on Natsu's face told her he sure did, his eyes stayed trained on the house. He was wearing his usual toque and all black clothes, this time he really did blend into the background. The only thing better would have been camouflage. His pants were baggy like usual but the shirt he was wearing was tight.

Like, distractingly tight.

She shook her head in an attempt to focus. Tim would be coming out of his house at any second.

She had to be serious.

Serious.

Seriously tight shirt.

Damn it.

"Get down." Natsu muttered putting a hand on her head and pushing her down as he ducked down himself.

For a moment she found herself wondering why he even told her to get down when he would've made her anyway when she heard the faint sound of a door opening and closing. It was quiet, like the person was trying not to disturb anyone but Lucy and Natsu heard it. That was when they began stalking Tim.

Natsu's second stalk of the day.

Hopefully with her here he wouldn't be so blatantly obvious that he was following someone. They tiptoed behind the brush for a while following a fair distance behind Tim. Even Tim looked suspicious, he was holding a box, well, clutching desperately to a box like his life depended on it. Not only that but he also didn't take any route through town, he was heading straight through the forest towards the water's edge. Her heart lurched up to her throat, maybe the box held some Shipeaters? Was he just going to throw them into the water quickly? Weren't they supposed to stop it? What if he did it so quickly they couldn't even stop him? Tim could deny it and they wouldn't actually have any proof other than their word…and who was going to believe some pirates? No one.

Apparently Natsu was thinking somewhere along the same lines because his pace quickened. Lucy was astounded; she was actually being the loud one now. Natsu was silent and had not made a sound when he moved.

So why the hell did he suck at stealth so bad in public? Did he want to be caught or something?

What a weirdo.

So they kept up to Tim who was paranoid and looking behind him ever four seconds. It didn't take long before they reached the water's edge and to Lucy's surprise there was a little dock and shed that sat above the water, the shed was only big enough to hold a small boat but she assumed it would give Tim the cover he preferred to let the fish go.

As soon as he disappeared through the small door the two of them were out of the brush and running full speed towards the little shed. Her brain was screaming at her that they needed some kind of plan but there was just no time. They had to catch him right before he did the act for it to have any merit at all. Throwing all caution to the wind they ripped the door open.

Her brain was right; they really should have had some kind of plan. It was made rather clear when they were greeted by the sound of a gunshot. Lucy had flinched at the noise but Natsu had actually ducked, good thing he had because there was a steaming hole in the wood right where his head had been seconds ago.

"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down!" Natsu shouted glaring at Tim as his hand shakily held onto the pistol in his hand. Slowly Natsu straightened up.

"Don't move! I'll shoot! What the hell are you doing here?" Tim sounded angry but Lucy noticed he just looked more scared than anything.

"We were about to ask you the same thing." Lucy said, careful not to anger Tim too much. Lucy's fingers twitched at the fact that her own hidden gun was only inches away. If she could only…

"I said don't move!" Tim shouted, making Lucy flinch again. There goes any inclination that she could get her gun.

"Oi, oi, just calm down now, we are here to talk. We don't want anyone to get hurt okay? Just put the gun down now." Natsu coaxed taking a few steps.

At first she had thought that Natsu was stepping towards Tim but she was rather shocked when Natsu had actually sidestepped in front of her. Her mouth literally dropped open a few millimeters. Natsu was protecting her again?

No, wait…maybe he was allowing her to get her gun without Tim noticing. Her heart thumped as she began to raise her now hidden hand up to her chest. She had hidden a small gun between her breasts.

Yeah typical but hey, it came in handy to hid things, including a small pistol. Before her hand could even gain much elevation Natsu's hand stopped hers. He firmly pushed it back down in the universal language to not do what she was thinking. He had known what she was going to do. What was wrong with that? If she had a gun at least they could threaten Tim to put his down…or something. Or maybe that would just make everything worse? Lucy wasn't sure; she had never really been in under these kinds of circumstances before.

Either way that meant that Natsu had indeed stepped in front of her to protect her. As soon as this situation was over she was going to give him a piece of her mind. He couldn't keep treating her as a stupid defenceless girl.

"Hey! Hands where I can see 'em!"

Sighing Lucy lifted her hands up gun free; they would probably just have to talk their way out of this.

"You are the guys that wanted that new boat right? Well like hell I'm going to do that now! Not unless you get me another 20 million to forget about this little incident, either that or I'll…have to kill you." Tim muttered, hand still pointing towards the two pirates in front of him.

"Tim, why are you doing this?" Lucy piped up from behind Natsu, taking a side step of her own in defiance so she was out in the open again.

Foolish? Maybe, but she wanted to prove a point here. She just had to ignore the look Natsu was giving her.

"Doing what?" He feigned ignorance.

"Don't beat around the bush, your releasing Shipeaters into the wild. Though I'm not sure how effective that will be with a box of them like that. That can only hold what? Two or three of them in some water?" Lucy said eyeing the box on the ground next to Tim's feet.

"What does it matter to you?" Tim growled.

"What's your plan? You're hurting the townspeople; they aren't getting any business anymore because of your fish!" Lucy retaliated.

"What do you mean? Because of me people get stranded on this island and loose everything! If anything I help business! I-"

"So you admit that it is your doing." Natsu interrupted, Tim stared at him, dumbfounded by his loose lips.

"Fine, so what? It only takes two of three of these things, they reproduce like rabbits anyway."

"Why? Is it for the money? Is that why you charge so much for your ships?" Lucy asked instantly regretting it as Tim's face contorted.

"Of course it's for the money! It's always for the goddamned money! I need all of it and I'll kill if I have to in order to get it!" Tim's voice got louder and he shook the gun angrily. "You better give me a good reason not to kill you soon."

"You don't have any valuables, the banks in town haven't gotten any of your money and you don't blow it all gambling. Tim, why do you need the money? Maybe we can help you." It was out on a limb but maybe Tim needed it for some good purpose.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You can't help me! No one can help me! It's the ones we go to for help that is the goddamn problem! What could a bunch of kids do anyway?"

That was when the gun fired a second time; to Lucy it had looked like an accident. The way Tim had been waving the gun around was dangerous to begin with. Lucy was rather stunned when Natsu stepped sideways again, his arm reaching out and pushing her. Her mouth dropped open in shock, there he goes again! A thud sounded behind her and she noticed that the bullet had narrowly missed her, thanks to Natsu. It had ended up going between the small space between the two of them. Lucy stared at it, which would've been a direct hit to her.

"I-I'm sorry, that time I didn't mean to, I swear!" Tim cried, finally pointing the gun at the ground. Natsu only responded with a dark glare.

"The government right? What did they do to you?" Now it was Natsu's turn and by the scowl on Tim's face Natsu was right on, the scowl slowly turned into grief. It was quiet after Natsu spoke; the only sounds were the waves beating gently against the shed.

It took a few heart wrenching moments until Tim dropped his head and she heard a small gasp that was followed closely by a sob. Tim's fingers loosened and he dropped the gun onto the dock beneath his feet. Natsu and Lucy stood still for a moment unsure as what to do exactly until Tim actually fell to his knees and wiped at his eyes roughly. That was when they stepped forward, Natsu quickly taking the gun by Tim's side and emptying the remaining bullets and tossing the gun away and sitting in front of the guy to listen. Lucy didn't get too close to the man, just in case this was a plan and he lashed out.

"It's not exactly what they did to me…they…they took my daughter. There had been rumors that she had magic and they just took her, no questions asked. They said that if I could pay the bail that I could have her back but…I've paid the bail for the last year and nothing! At first the bail was reasonable; then they would send me a letter in the mail saying that the bail had gone up after every single payment I made! It just keeps getting steeper and steeper. I don't even know if she's even alive anymore and I'm throwing money at the people that took her away from me. It got to the point where it would take me years to earn enough money to pay them so I got a hold of some of these fish so I could ask any price I wanted. I always asked the people for exactly how much the bail was, I tried my best not to rip anyone off more that I had to and I made sure to make the ships right. The most recent one said 30 million but they just sent me another one saying they want 50 million now or she's dead!"

"Did she have magic?" Natsu spoke, taking a few steps towards the man and kneeling before him.

"It doesn't matter…"

"No, it does matter."

"Why? Why the hell would it matter? Saying anything to do with magic would get me arrested at the least!"

"Well, we are pirates. Now that we both have dirt on each other why don't you tell us if she did or not?"

"You guys are pirates? Hah…hahah! So you robbed people to get the 30 million? That makes me feel just great."

"No we didn't rob anyone; we got it from Ratchin if you must know." Lucy joined, taking a seat beside Natsu. She saw Tim's shoulder slack a bit.

"Yeah, she did have magic. It was a special power apparently, the ability to levitate anything at will. It didn't matter how heavy it was either…she was so beautiful, so smart..." Tim sobbed.

"That's good news then." Natsu smiled.

"What part of this is good news? My daughter had magic and she's in the hands of the government. It's all pretty bad." Tim groaned his face back in his hands once again.

"Well, with magic like that she's probably still alive."

"That's still not helping, a 'probably' is nothing. Especially when I can't get her back from the government."

Natsu just smiled brighter.

"No that's great news because if she's alive that means we will be able to bring her back."

* * *

**And ****there is**** this chapter, sorry it wasn't too action packed but the next one will be a little more exciting I believe, and probably longer.**

***Had to fix a name in here...got 2 of my OCs messed up ^^' oops fixed now.**

**Let me know what you thought ^^ and thankyou for reading. Follow me on ****tumblr**** if you want ;)**

**Don't forget to review~~**

**Thankyouuu~~~**


End file.
